Ram Mandir donation theft case: Trust President Nritya Gopal Das calls for strictest punishment for accused

President of Ram Temple trust Nritya Gopal Das on Monday called for the strictest punishment for those responsible for the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at Ram Mandir.

He added that the matter was one of deep faith for millions of Hindus and appealed to people not to politicise the issue or use it for personal gain.

“I am deeply saddened by the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at the temple of Shri Ramlalla Sarkar. Whoever has committed this sinful act should be awarded the strictest punishment,” Das said.

“I have complete faith in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that every person involved in this wrongdoing, in any manner whatsoever, will be brought to justice and punished in accordance with the law. This is a matter of faith for millions of Hindus. I humbly request that no one should politicise this issue or exploit it for personal gain,” he mentioned.

Trust meeting: Who all are expected to attend?

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to convene a meeting at the Ram Temple complex in Ayodhya at 3 PM, against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.

The meeting will be presided over by Trust President Nritya Gopal Das. Trustees likely to attend include Treasurer Govind Dev Giri, Vishwaprasannatirth, Swami Parmanand Giri, Jagadguru Vasudevanand Saraswati, Krishna Mohan, Anil Mishra and General Secretary Champat Rai, according to ANI sources.

They added that ex-officio members, including District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad, Central Government representative Prashant Lokhande and Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra, are expected to participate in the meeting. Trust member K Parasaran is also likely to join the proceedings via video conferencing, sources further stated.

However, sources indicated that there is uncertainty over whether Trust President Nritya Gopal Das will attend the meeting due to his health.

The meeting is taking place amid an intensifying political row over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations, with Opposition parties demanding an investigation while the BJP has accused them of attempting to politicise the issue and hurt Hindu sentiments.

Ram Temple Trust Treasurer reacts

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Treasurer and Geeta Pariwar founder Swami Govind Dev Giri on Monday said he would brief the media after the conclusion of the Trust meeting.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Giri declined to comment on the issue, saying he would address all queries during a press conference later in the day.

"I am not going to say anything right now. I will meet you tonight after today's meeting. I am here for three days. I will sit down with all of you and discuss everything. There will be a press conference after the meeting," he mentioned.

Ram Mandir row: Allahabad HC's Lucknow Bench to hear plea seeking CBI probe

Meanwhile, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is set to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on Monday that seeks a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in donations made at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The PIL, filed on 12 June, will be heard by a division bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjeev Shukla.

The petition called for a CBI probe into allegations of theft and financial irregularities linked to donations collected through the temple's donation boxes. It also requests that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit the temple's donations.