Champat Rai resigns as Ram Mandir trust general secretary amid donation theft probe

3 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026 02:31 PM IST

Champat Rai has stepped down as the general secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust.

General secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has stepped down from his post following allegations of theft of donations by devotees. Sources said Rai stepped down to ensure an impartial probe into the matter. “It is only proper to stay away from office when such allegations are being made. It is to ensure a free and fair investigation. There is now an FIR in the matter,” a source close to Rai said.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that an audit report in 2020 had flagged the “highly unprofessional” functioning of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The audit was conducted just months after the Trust was set up and had made some key recommendations, which were not implemented even six years later.

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The issue came to the fore after allegations of misappropriation of the donations surfaced. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. While there are no allegations against Rai personally, sources said he chose to resign on moral grounds to avoid any perception of influencing the investigation.

On Thursday, police in Ayodhya had registered an FIR against eight individuals on a complaint alleging theft, misappropriation of cash, valuables, embezzlement of funds and valuables donated to the Ram temple. The eight individuals named in the FIR are Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastav.

Tinnu Yadav used to work as a driver for Champat Rai. According to an official, ever since the consecration of the idol in 2022, Tinnu had been involved in the functioning of affairs inside the temple.

ALSO READ | ‘Don’t test Ram devotees’: Yogi on Ayodhya temple donation theft allegations

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Earlier in the day, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his government’s intention is clear in the Ram temple donation theft case. “Everything will become clear. But do not test Ram devotees, stop playing with their faith. If there are no facts or evidence, stop the accusations. If there is evidence, present it before the SIT,” he said.

The CM also claimed the Opposition had even questioned the existence of Lord Ram. “One of them used to say Lord Ram never existed. They even wanted to deny Ayodhya’s existence. They continued fighting in court with a battery of lawyers against the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the Ram temple,” he added.