1 week ago
Ram Temple Trust Row Intensifies Ahead of September 2 Meeting
The group that manages the Ram temple in Ayodhya will meet on September 2.
The group has not said exactly what it will discuss.
Former leader Champat Rai has recently been meeting religious leaders and other people connected to the trust.
Some members are arguing with Nripendra Misra about who should make important decisions.
This argument grew after donations and offerings were allegedly stolen from a temple vault.
One investigation cleared Rai but said Anil Mishra had relaxed some vault rules.
Another investigation ordered by the Supreme Court has not finished.
More than 100 sadhus want senior trust members and officials investigated.
The trust may also discuss appointing new officers and filling vacant posts.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust will meet on September 2 without announcing an agenda.
Former general secretary Champat Rai has resumed meetings with trust members, sadhus, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders in Ayodhya.
A former trust auditor has urged members not to reinstate Rai while the temple-theft investigations remain unresolved.
The dispute centers on allegations that Nripendra Misra made important decisions independently and on competing views of bureaucratic influence over the trust.
More than 100 sadhus have demanded cases against senior trust members, alleging that eight arrested employees acted on instructions from trustees or officials.
- Who
- Members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, including Champat Rai, Nripendra Misra, religious leaders, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad-linked members.
- What
- The trust has called a September 2 meeting amid an internal leadership dispute and investigations into alleged thefts of temple offerings and donations.
- Where
- Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, where the Ram temple and trust are based.
- When
- The meeting is scheduled for September 2; the dispute intensified after Rai resigned on June 27 and wrote to the trust chairman in August.
- Why
- The meeting comes amid disagreements over leadership appointments, decision-making authority, bureaucratic influence, and accountability for the alleged theft.
Critics and Sadhu Groups
Trust Officials and Misra Supporters
Responsibility for the alleged theft
Critics and Sadhu Groups
More than 100 sadhus, including Namdeo Das, said senior trustees and officials should face cases and alleged that the eight arrested employees acted on trustees’ or officials’ instructions.
Trust Officials and Misra Supporters
The first special investigation team cleared Champat Rai and indicated that Anil Mishra had relaxed rules in the vault room; broader responsibility remains disputed, with a second investigation pending.
Decision-making and bureaucratic influence
Critics and Sadhu Groups
Some trust members and sadhus accuse Nripendra Misra of taking important decisions independently and criticize what they describe as bureaucratic and political influence over the trust.
Trust Officials and Misra Supporters
Misra is the construction committee chairman and has held construction committee meetings; the reports also describe him as being viewed by some as representing the Prime Minister’s Office, an assertion connected to the dispute that he has not publicly confirmed in these articles.
Champat Rai’s possible return
Critics and Sadhu Groups
Former auditor Mahipal Singh reportedly urged the trust not to reinstate Rai while the theft investigations remain unresolved and sought to place his letter before the September 2 meeting.
Trust Officials and Misra Supporters
Rai has been cleared by the first special investigation team and has recently met trust members, sadhus, and organizational leaders, amid reports that efforts may be underway to reinstate him.
Key facts
- Meeting date
- September 2
- Trust
- Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra
- Former general secretary
- Champat Rai resigned in June after the theft controversy and has recently resumed meetings with trust and religious figures.
- Construction committee chairman
- Nripendra Misra, an ex-officio trust member and former principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- First investigation
- A Uttar Pradesh government special investigation team said eight trust employees were involved; on August 17 it cleared Rai and indicated that Anil Mishra had relaxed vault-room rules.
- Pending investigation
- A second special investigation team formed on Supreme Court directions has not submitted its report.
- Sadhu demand
- More than 100 sadhus demanded cases against all senior trust members and officials.
Quotes
Namdeo Das, also known as Computer Baba
A sadhu who addressed reporters after a meeting of more than 100 sadhus in Ayodhya
“They (the trust members) can’t divert our attention from the theft by fighting with each other. We believe that the eight arrested persons were stealing donations and offerings from the temple on the direction of some trustees and officials.”
telegraphindia.com
“Singh has emailed us a letter in which he has said that efforts are afoot in the trust to reinstate Rai as its general secretary.”
telegraphindia.com
An anonymous senior trust member
A senior member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust who spoke anonymously
“The incidents of the past few weeks have widened the rift between the VHP and a former bureaucrat who claims to represent the PMO in the trust.”
telegraphindia.com
“He is attending all the closed-door meetings of sadhus.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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