Under attack over alleged embezzlement of Ayodhya Ram Temple donations, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust former general secretary Champat Rai has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he was the one who had exposed it.
Rai, who recently resigned as the general secretary of the Trust, reportedly told his associates that he had been betrayed by those he trusted. He said his “service in Ayodhya is complete" and that he could not continue living with the “stigma".
Rai and former Trust member Anil Mishra were questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday and Thursday, respectively. A decision on their resignations was likely to be taken by a two-thirds majority at the Trust’s meeting in Ayodhya on July 6.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya sought to defend Rai, saying he worked with immense dedication for Ram Temple construction. Maurya asserted that action would be taken against those found guilty of donation theft.
In a related development, the Faizabad Bar Association on Thursday filed a criminal complaint at the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station against Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Trust administrator Gopal Rao. Local lawyers also staged a protest demanding further action.
On Monday, the association had resolved not to allow its members to represent the eight accused arrested in the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case and warned that those defying it would face a Rs 5 lakh penalty.
Lawyers had demanded that Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao — associated with the management of the Ram Temple but not named in the FIR — “must leave" Ayodhya within three days, failing which the temple town would be blockaded.
The eight accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav — associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram Temple – were arrested following registration of an FIR on submission of a preliminary report by the SIT appointed by the state government.
