Mahant Dinendra Das said the Trust had found no wrongdoing of Champat Rai

NEW DELHI: The Ram Mandir donation row took a fresh turn on Tuesday after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trustee Mahant Dinendra Das defended former general secretary Champat Rai, saying the Trust had found no wrongdoing on his part and that all gold and silver donations made to the temple remained safe and fully accounted for.His remarks came a day after the Trust accepted the resignations of Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra following a meeting convened in the backdrop of the ongoing SIT probe into the alleged embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations.Mahant Dinendra Das said the trustees had initially wanted Champat Rai to continue as no evidence of wrongdoing had been found against him. However, they eventually accepted his resignation after receiving legal advice.“All the key figures associated with Ram Lalla had arrived. The proposal was accepted. No wrongdoing was found on the part of Champat Rai by the trust. However, because of his resignation, everyone was ready to accept it. We said that since no fault was found in Champat Rai, he should be retained. But the lawyer handling the Janmabhoomi case received a call stating that since he has given a written resignation, it should be accepted. The trustees agreed that if the authorities or court held that a written resignation must be accepted, then everyone had to agree,” he told news agency ANI.Responding to allegations that precious offerings had gone missing, the trustee categorically rejected the claims and said every gold and silver donation remained secure.“Regarding the serious allegations that saddened many–specifically about the gold and silver donations–all the gold and silver is there, safely stored and accounted for. A full report of it has been provided. Ram Lalla has ensured all work is completed. The mistakes being shown were mostly narratives from the media. Ultimately, the media’s own errors were revealed,” he said.Mahant Dinendra Das also announced that Keshav Mohan had taken over the responsibilities previously handled by Champat Rai and would supervise the Trust’s administration and accounts.“In place of Champat Rai, Keshav Mohan has been appointed. He is looking after everything safely and overseeing all the accounts. The newly appointed member will handle the proceedings and continue providing full accounts,” he said.The developments come as the Trust seeks to address growing scrutiny following the Special Investigation Team’s probe into the alleged theft of donations collected at the Ram Mandir.On Monday, Trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj confirmed that the resignations of Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra had been accepted. He said negligence by the two office-bearers over an extended period was a serious issue and maintained that those found responsible for the alleged embezzlement should face investigation and appropriate punishment. He also dismissed allegations that valuable offerings had disappeared, saying all donated items had been properly documented and remained safe.The Trust meeting followed the submission of a preliminary SIT report, which flagged serious security lapses inside the donation counting room and alleged that some counting staff had systematically stolen cash. The SIT has described its findings as preliminary and said further investigation and legal proceedings are continuing.