Lucknow: VHP chief Alok Kumar said on Saturday that the Ram Temple Trust will meet in Ayodhya on July 7 to decide on the next course of action following the resignation of the two senior Trust functionaries.
He said he hopes that a chief executive officer is appointed to manage the affairs of the Ram Temple.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned following allegations of malfeasance in donations at the temple.
"It's true that they (Rai and Mishra) sent in their resignation to both the president and the treasurer of the trust, taking moral responsibility for the Ram Temple Donation Row. The Trust will address the issue at its July 7 meeting," Kumar told PTI on the phone.
Their decision should be respected since they took a "moral stand," he said.
The resignations came on the heels of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) unravelling blatant malpractice and mismanagement in donation collection in its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government.
Based on its findings, the police filed an FIR and arrested eight people.
Though neither Rai nor Mishra was named in the FIR, their role in not reporting the matter on time has been under scrutiny.
The eight nabbed include Rai's former driver, who allegedly held the keys to the 'hundi' (donation boxes) without authority.
Rai is also the VHP's vice president.
Kumar, meanwhile, said the allegations of theft have shaken people's trust in the temple management.
"It is my understanding that if the matter is investigated quickly, decided in a fast-track court, and those guilty are brought to justice in record time, it would be akin to a healing touch," he said.
"I hope we will now have a CEO type setup in place to manage the affairs of the Ram Temple along with other Trustees," he added.
Kumar declined to comment on whether the Trust would name a new general secretary at the July 7 meeting.
