Ram temple donation theft row: Trust treasurer refuses to resign, says SBI officials should have been vigilant

PTI, July 14, 2026, Pune/Ayodhya : Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Tuesday conceded that there were lapses in supervision at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, but said he would not step down over the alleged theft of donations as he did not consider himself to be at fault personally.

Noting that those arrested in the case are all employees of the State Bank of India, he told reporters here that the bank officials should have checked their credentials and should have been more vigilant.

Asked about the quantum of the alleged theft, he said his personal estimate was that it could be around Rs 3 crore, but it should not be taken as the official or authentic figure.

He was satisfied with the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe as well as the Supreme Court's monitoring of the matter, he said.

Reports claiming that he had decided to quit were "malicious", Giri Maharaj said.

"I never said I will resign. I am a follower of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and I am not one of those who run away. When the time demands that I should fight, it is not in our dharma to quit the field," he said.

On the resignation of the trust's general secretary Champat Rai, Giri Maharaj said he had stepped down voluntarily.

"As per the constitution of the trust, once a resignation is tendered, it is deemed to have been accepted," he added.

Rejecting the suggestion that Rai was made a scapegoat, Giri Maharaj said negligence on Rai's part contributed to the situation, and he had realised it before resigning.

"As a treasurer, I also have responsibilities. My duty is to oversee the funds deposited in the trust's bank accounts. Five chartered accountants verify the accounts regularly," he said.

Donations deposited in the temple's donation boxes were allegedly embezzled and not the funds deposited in the trust's bank accounts, Giri Maharaj pointed out.

The local trustees looked after the counting and accountability of donations collected in the donation boxes, he said.

The SBI has been entrusted with handling and accounting for donations received through donation boxes, Giri Maharaj further said.

"All those arrested so far are SBI employees. They were deployed by SBI, not by the trust. Even if some appointments were made on recommendations, it was SBI's responsibility to verify their credentials. SBI is one of the country's leading banks," he said.

Meanwhile, a special court here on Tuesday granted a 14-hour police remand of two accused in the alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement case, rejecting the investigating officer's request for seven days' custody, sources said.

The court of the Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) allowed the police remand of accused Ramshankar Mishra and Subhash Chandra Shrivastava.

According to sources, investigating officer Ashutosh Tiwari had sought a seven-day police remand to interrogate the duo, but the court granted custody for 14 hours instead.

Police are expected to take both accused into custody at around 7 am on Wednesday for questioning, the sources said.

Police have already interrogated co-accused Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey during separate spells of police remand in connection with the case.

Sources claimed that the interrogation of the four accused led to the recovery of two four-wheelers allegedly purchased using the misappropriated money, besides cash, gold and documents relating to investments.

The investigation has also revealed that part of the allegedly embezzled money was invested in interest-based lending and the stock market, they further claimed.