Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Trust Govind Dev Giri Maharaj on Tuesday ruled out resignation over alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying he was not personally at fault and that the State Bank of India (SBI) should have exercised greater vigilance as all those arrested so far were bank employees.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Giri Maharaj said his “penance” was to prevent a recurrence, not resignation.
He said, “I never said that I would resign. I am a follower of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and I am not one of those who run away. When time calls for me to fight, it is not within our dharma to leave the field,” and denied reports of his resignation as “malicious.”
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He said that those arrested were RBI employees deployed by the bank to handle donations from the temple collection funds.
“All those arrested so far are SBI employees. They were posted by SBI, not through trust. Even if some appointments are made based on recommendations, it is SBI’s responsibility to verify their credentials. SBI is one of the leading banks in the country,” he said.
He added: “They are not preachers, but bank officials. So they should have remained vigilant.”
Giri Maharaj said the alleged embezzlement involved cash from donation funds, not money deposited in the fund’s bank accounts. The amount stolen was estimated at approximately $3 Crores, while emphasizing that it is not an official figure.
He said he was satisfied with the SIT’s investigation and the Supreme Court’s monitoring of the case.
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Regarding the resignation of former Secretary General Champat Rai, Giri Maharaj said that Rai resigned voluntarily, and under the Fund’s constitution, the resignation became effective as soon as it was submitted. He described Ray as “neglectful” and rejected suggestions that Ray had been made a scapegoat.
“I don’t think I’m wrong,” he said. “But since my name is associated with the position of treasurer, I deeply regret that this happened.”
Describing the alleged theft as a “crime against Lord Ram”, Giri Maharaj said the Trust had introduced safeguards, including pocketless uniforms for cash handlers, removal of blind spots in CCTV cameras, counting of cash at floor level, mandatory presence of two Trust representatives and two SBI officials, and frisking of employees.
He also denied reports that gold offers were worth it $He dismissed the Rs 1,400-crore figure as “completely false”, saying the fund had displayed a register of 2,926 valuable offers for devotees to verify. He added that no white paper will be issued while the SIT investigation is underway.
