Ram Mandir donation case: Former general secretary Champat Rai gets clean chit from SIT; probe underway

Champat Rai, the former Ayodhya Ram Temple official, has been given a clean chit by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged donation theft at the temple, a report by Hindustan Times has revealed.

The report has been examined by the home department and then handed over to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which will be taking further action.

The publication spoke with people aware of the matter to reveal that the final report in the case does not include the names of either Rai or Anil Mishra, a former member of the trust.

Both Rai and Mishra had resigned from their posts in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in June as a probe was underway into the alleged theft of funds the temple received as donations.

While the first SIT to probe the matter was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the second, constituted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, is continuing the investigation into the case.

The first SIT was being headed by Vijay Vishwas Pant, the Lucknow divisional commissioner, along with Kiran S, the inspector general of police (Lucknow range) and Neel Ratan Kumar, special secretary (Finance).

The preliminary report was submitted to the government on 23 June by the SIT, after which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in Ayodhya.

Ram Mandir issue not discussed in Parliament Monsoon Session

On Tuesday, Kiren Rijiju, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, replied to the opposition's charges that the government refused to discuss the Ram Mandir issue in the recently concluded Monsoon Session.

In an interview with ANI, Rijiju said the government was ready to discuss the issue, but not all topics could be discussed at once.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal blamed the opposition, saying, "They shifted the focus of the debate, and there was even infighting among them. For instance, the SP wanted to discuss alleged irregularities regarding the offerings at the Ram Mandir, while the Congress prioritised the issue of the mistreatment of students. They didn't actually want a discussion; they wanted an uproar. Even today, they kept the Home Minister waiting. This implies that they themselves did not want the discussion."

16 candidates shortlisted for Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust CEO post

The selection process for the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is entering its final rounds, with 16 candidates being shortlisted for the role.

The interviews were conducted at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra campus in Ayodhya on 11 and 12 August.

The Search Committee, comprising Justice (Retd.) Permod Kohli, Lieutenant General (Retd.) VK Chaturvedi and nuclear scientist Dr Suresh Hawre, evaluated the candidates for the key institutional leadership position.

With ANI inputs