Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will hold a crucial meeting Monday afternoon amid the ongoing probe into the alleged theft of temple donations and the resignation of its general secretary, Champat Rai, and trustee Anil Mishra.
The meeting, scheduled for 3 pm at the guest house inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex, will review the SIT probe into the alleged donation theft, deliberate on the stepping down of Rai and Mishra, and discuss appointments to key positions in the trust if the resignations are accepted.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place, with additional police personnel deployed on roads leading to the Ram temple complex. The venue was shifted from Mani Ram Das Chhawani to the temple complex, citing security reasons.
Trust president Nritya Gopal Das, who was discharged from a Lucknow hospital July 3 after being admitted June 29, is likely to chair the meeting via video conference from his Chhawani residence.
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Union government secretary Prashant Lokhande and Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad are also expected to join virtually, sources said.
According to a source, Ram Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra will not attend the meeting.
An SIT constituted June 13 to probe the alleged theft of Ram Temple donations had submitted its preliminary report to the state government June 23, which formed the basis for an FIR and the arrest of eight named persons.
Investigators have also recovered deleted CCTV footage that allegedly shows the accused concealing currency notes while taking them out of the temple premises.
While no FIR has been registered against Rai, Mishra, and special invitee Gopal Rao, the Ayodhya lawyers of Faizabad Bar Association have submitted a written police complaint seeking an FIR against them. It is still not clear if the trio, currently in the eye of the storm, will participate in the meeting.
The trust is also expected to review the progress of the probe during the meeting.
