Ayodhya | The Ram temple trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Champat Rai as its general secretary and member Anil Mishra in the wake of embezzlement of donations. Trustee Krishna Mohan has been named as interim general secretary.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also announced the formation of a three-member committee to identify a chief executive officer (CEO) for the temple trust. The panel comprises retired judge Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and trustee Suresh Haware.

Trust treasurer Govind Giri stated this after a three-hour meeting of the temple body to discuss the fallout of the scandal that has sparked widespread outrage and a political firestorm, with the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, which led the Ram temple movement, grappling to control the damage.

Giri described the theft from the temple's donation boxes as a matter of "deep pain and embarrassment" for the Trust, saying the controversy had cast a shadow over a temple built after a centuries-long struggle and countless sacrifices.

The treasurer, however, said the Trust unanimously appreciated Rai's contribution to the Ram temple movement and construction despite accepting his resignation.

Defending Rai, Giri said he "is untainted in my eyes" and hailed his "life of sacrifice" for the Ram temple movement.

Giri said Rai had stepped down voluntarily, saying he felt it was not appropriate to continue as general secretary until the investigation was completed and those responsible were brought to justice.

He said the Trust had no discretion in the matter as senior trustee K Parasaran had pointed out that a resignation takes effect once submitted under the Trust's constitution, leaving the Trust with no option but to accept it.

Police have so far arrested eight people, mostly involved in handling and counting donations, in the case. None of the trustees are named in the FIR.

Reiterating that allegations of missing donated articles were unfounded, the Trust in a statement said that 2,926 non-cash offerings received from devotees had been recorded in registers with complete date-wise details and were subjected to annual physical verification by an independent chartered accountant firm serving as internal auditor.

Giri said the Trust maintains a register of all articles donated to the temple and asserted that every such item was safe. He said the Trust was prepared to show the records and the donated articles to anyone seeking verification.

He said Krishna Mohan, who has been given additional charge as interim general secretary, would be free to choose a team to assist him and would oversee measures aimed at strengthening transparency and administrative systems.

Giri said the Trust will meet again on July 22, by which time it expects the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the embezzlement to submit its final report.

The report would be discussed at the meeting along with appointments of additional trustees, he said.

Whosoever is found guilty will get appropriate punishment, interim general secretary Mohan said after the meeting, adding that all trustees will work to restore the confidence of people and manage offerings by devotees as per Ram temple Trust's objectives.

Giri said the Trust wanted all those involved in the alleged theft, including any larger conspirators, to be identified and punished, while cautioning against attempts to use the controversy to malign the temple Trust and create divisions among devotees.

He appealed to devotees not to be misled by "false propaganda" and said anyone with doubts about donated articles could approach the Trust office for verification.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Giri said the Trust advanced its scheduled July 11 meeting to Monday in view of the developments arising from the donation embezzlement row.

The meeting started at 3.15 pm at the guest house inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex, with seven of the nine permanent members, including Trust chairman Nritya Gopal Das, present. Rai and Mishra did not attend the meeting, the sources said. The meeting concluded at around 6.30 pm.