Ram Temple Trust meet begins: Who are the 14 members, who has voting rights?

4 min readUpdated: Jul 6, 2026 06:26 PM IST

Ram Temple Trust meets for the first time since the alleged embezzlement of donations to decide on the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The highly anticipated meeting of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra has begun. Among key decisions, it is expected take a call on the resignations of its general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra following the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Sources said 14 members are expected to join the meeting, either physically or virtually. Of these 10 of them have voting rights, sources said. If Rai and Mishra are excluded, only eight members will be eligible to vote on decisions discussed during the meeting.

Sources earlier had said Trust members were divided over the resignations of Rai and Mishra, with one section in favour of letting them go. Another group advocates waiting for the Special Investigation Team (SIT( to submit its report by July 15 and appointing someone to take over the temple management in the interim.

While some Trust members are of the view that the management system should remain in the hands of an official, others are pushing for a new administrative structure to be devised.

Who’s on the board

The Trust currently has 14 members.

When it was formed in 2020, it had 15 members. One position has remained vacant since the death of trustee Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, popularly known as ‘Raja Ayodhya’, last year.

Four are ex-officio members

Of the 14 trustees, four are ex-officio members and do not have voting rights. These include Prashant Lokhande, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs; Sanjay Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Uttar Pradesh; Shashank Tripathi, Ayodhya District Magistrate; and Nripendra Mishra, retired IAS officer and chairman of the Trust’s construction committee.

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Those with voting rights

Swami Govind Dev Giri, the Trust’s treasurer, who convened the meeting on behalf of the Trust president. He is a renowned religious speaker from Maharashtra.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, president of the Trust and head of Maniram Das Chavani in Ayodhya. Das has been a known face associated with Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Senior member, K Parasharan, former Attorney General of India, who argued the Ayodhya title case for the Hindu side in the Supreme Court. He will join the meeting virtually. He was the first trustee of the Trust, when it was formed in 2020.

Krishna Mohan, a 74-year-old RSS office-bearer and former Indian Forest Service officer. He was appointed as trustee in September following the death of founding member, Kamleshwar Chaupal, in February 2025. Mohan hails from Hardoi district and is the RSS Chhetra Sangh Chalak for eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Mahant Dinendra Das of the Nirmohi Akhara. He was among the principal litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute.

Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth, another senior religious leader associated with the Ram temple movement.

Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha, who is Peethadhipati of the Pejawar Math, Udupi (Karnataka).

Yugpurush Swami Parmanand, also a prominent religious leader associated with the Ram Temple movement.

Sources said among the ex-officio members, only the district magistrate is likely to attend the meeting in person.

Senior VHP leaders who arrived in Ayodhya a day earlier are also expected to attend as special invitees.

Maulshree Seth is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, based in Lucknow. With over 15 years of experience in mainstream journalism, she has built a formidable reputation for her on-ground reporting across Uttar Pradesh. Her expertise spans a wide array of critical beats, including state politics, governance, the judiciary, and rural development.

Authoritativeness Maulshree’s work is characterized by depth and historical context. Her coverage of high-stakes state elections and landmark judicial rulings has established her as an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and politics in Northern India. She is frequently recognized for her ability to gain access to primary sources and for her nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors that drive the world's most populous sub-national entity.

Trustworthiness & Ethical Journalism Her reporting is rooted in rigorous fact-checking and a steadfast dedication to neutral, unbiased storytelling. By prioritizing field-based verification—often traveling to the most remote corners of the state—she ensures that her readers receive a truthful and comprehensive view of events. ... Read More

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