Champat Rai and Anil Mishra resigned on moral grounds after the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations in Ayodhya
Eight accused have been arrested for allegedly misappropriating devotees' cash and valuables collected through temple donation boxes
An SIT probe is underway, with the preliminary report reportedly flagging lapses in supervision and donation handling
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra on Friday resigned from their posts on "moral grounds" following the alleged embezzlement of donations made by devotees to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, news agency ANI reported.
The resignations came a day after a first information report (FIR) was registered against eight persons in connection with the alleged misappropriation of donations collected at the temple. The FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple.
All eight accused named in the FIR have been arrested. They have been identified as Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.
The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to theft by a clerk or servant, criminal breach of trust, possession of stolen property and criminal conspiracy.
According to the FIR, the accused were entrusted with counting cash and valuables donated by devotees at the temple. They allegedly misappropriated offerings collected through donation boxes installed on the temple premises.
Earlier this week, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged irregularities submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government. The contents of the report have not been made public.
The Uttar Pradesh government said the SIT would continue its investigation and submit a final report within 15 days.
The probe panel was constituted by the state government on June 14 following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Opposition leaders and a whistleblower have alleged that cash and jewellery offerings made by devotees were embezzled by temple staffers while functioning under the trust's watch.
The resignations mark the first major fallout within the temple trust since the alleged donation scam surfaced, even as investigations into the matter continue.
