Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj on Tuesday rejected calls for his resignation over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, asserting that he bore no personal responsibility and that the State Bank of India (SBI) should have been more vigilant since those arrested in the case were all bank employees.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Giri Maharaj said his responsibility was to ensure such an incident does not recur, not to step down from his position.
“I never said I would 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, describing reports of his resignation as “malicious”.
He maintained that the individuals arrested in connection with the alleged fraud were employees deputed by SBI to manage donations collected from the temple's donation boxes.
“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.
“They are not preachers; they are bank officials. So they should have remained vigilant,” he added.
According to Giri Maharaj, the alleged embezzlement involved cash collected from donation boxes rather than funds deposited in the trust's bank accounts. He estimated that around ₹3 crore may have been siphoned off, while clarifying that the figure was not official.
He also expressed confidence in the ongoing investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and said he was satisfied with the Supreme Court's oversight of the matter.
Commenting on the resignation of former general secretary Champat Rai, Giri Maharaj said Rai had resigned of his own accord and that, under the trust's constitution, the resignation became effective immediately upon submission. While describing Rai as “negligent”, he rejected suggestions that the former general secretary had been made a scapegoat.
“I do not believe I am at fault. But since my name is associated with the post of treasurer, I deeply regret that this happened,” he said.
Describing the alleged embezzlement as “a crime against Lord Ram”, Giri Maharaj said the trust had implemented several new safeguards. These include pocketless uniforms for personnel handling cash, elimination of CCTV blind spots, counting donations at floor level, mandatory presence of two trust representatives and two SBI officials during cash handling, and frisking of staff.
He also dismissed reports claiming that gold offerings worth ₹1,400 crore had disappeared, calling them “completely false”. Giri Maharaj said the trust had displayed a register listing 2,926 valuable offerings for devotees to examine and added that no white paper on the matter would be issued while the SIT investigation remains in progress.
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