Ram Temple trust meet LIVE: Meeting begins with Champat Rai, Anil Mishra's resignation on agenda

RAm Temple cartel encounter unrecorded updates: The Shri ram down Janmabhoomi Trust's get together to deliberate on the resignations submitted by its members Champat Rai and Anil Mishra has begun. The meeting also assumes significance because it comes amid the ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement or theft of donations made to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.In a significant development ahead of the meeting, President of Ram Temple trust Nritya Gopal Das issued his first statement on the donation controversy. “I am deeply saddened by the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at the temple of Shri Ramlalla Sarkar. Whoever has committed this sinful act should be awarded the strictest punishment,” Das said.So far, eight arrests have been made in the case and the temple trust's former general secretary Champat Rai has also appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) as part of the probe.Here are big developments on the donation row so far:Eight arrests so far: There are eight people accused in the donation case and all of them have been arrested. They are: Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava. Tinnu is reportedly considered a close of Champat Rai.First statement by trust chairman: Ram Temple trust chairman Nritya Gopal Das issued his first remarks on the ongoing donation controversy. He called for strict punishment for those involved in the alleged embezzlement of funds. “I have complete faith in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that every person involved in this wrongdoing, in any manner whatsoever, will be brought to justice and punished in accordance with the law,” he said.Varanasi firm's role in focus: Amid the ongoing probe, HT recently found that six of the eight men arrested in connection with the irregularities were employed by a Varanasi-based security agency. The agency was hired by the State Bank of India (SBI), Naya Ghat Branch, Ayodhya for the cash-counting process, said Gaurav Singh, the owner and director of Sainik Security Services, Varanasi.Who will be attending today's meet? The meeting will begin at 3pm at the Yatri Suvidha Kendra in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi complex. All trust members are expected to attend it. Senior advocate and trustee K Parasaran, along with some other members, will participate virtually.