Ram Temple Donation Row: No Proposal To Remove Champat Rai From Organisation, Says VHP With SIT Report Awaited
Ram Temple Donation Row: No Proposal To Remove Champat Rai From Organisation, Says VHP With SIT Report Awaited Reported By, Last Updated: July 18, 2026
Ram Temple Donation Row: No Proposal To Remove Champat Rai From Organisation, Says VHP With SIT Report Awaited Reported By, Last Updated: July 18, 2026, 07:30 IST While the SIT submitted an interim report, it did not accuse Rai of any wrongdoing For now, the Sangh affiliate is closing ranks around one of its senior-most leaders. But much will depend on what the final SIT report concludes. If it mirrors the interim findings and does not indict Rai, the VHP’s position is unlikely to change. File image With Uttar Pradesh government’s special investigation team’s (SIT) final report into the alleged financial irregularities in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is expected soon, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has indicated that Champat Rai’s departure from the Temple Trust would not automatically mean his exit from the organisation. Almost two weeks after Rai stepped down from the Trust amid the controversy, Alok Kumar, international president of VHP told News 18 that there is no proposal to remove Rai from any of his organisational responsibilities. Drawing a distinction between the Trust, where Rai resigned in the backdrop of the probe, and the VHP, the Sangh affiliate said that it believed no organisational action was warranted at this stage. “The SIT has just submitted its interim report.
We are waiting for the final report. Based on the allegations and claims made by some entities, no action can be taken against him. We have no proposal for his removal or any action," he added. The position assumes significance as Rai has been one of the most prominent faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and continues to occupy an important place within the VHP. The organisation’s reasoning rests on the status of the investigation itself. While the SIT submitted an interim report, it did not accuse Rai of any wrongdoing. With the final report yet to be submitted, VHP leaders argue that there is no basis for initiating disciplinary or organisational action against him. According to VHP functionaries, acting before the investigation reaches its logical conclusion would amount to prejudging the outcome. They insist that any decision, if at all required, can only be considered after the probe is completed. The stand also reflects a conscious attempt by the VHP to separate issues concerning the administration of the Ram Temple Trust from its own organisational structure. Rai’s resignation from the Trust, they argue, was linked to the institution facing scrutiny and should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt or as a trigger for action within the VHP.
The BriefWire