AYODHYA/LUCKNOW: The noose seems to be tightening around former Ram Temple Trust member Anil Mishra. In the latest development, VHP vice-president and former Trust general secretary Champat Rai has claimed that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) were jointly framed by Mishra and State Bank of India officials in Feb 2025 without his knowledge or approval.In his letter to the SIT, which went viral on July 7, Rai blamed Mishra for the mismanagement since he had administrative and financial powers to deal with SBI besides him.The letter, which bears Rai’s signature, was signed by him when he was the Trust general secretary.Rai also pointed fingers towards SBI, saying that the usual code followed while dealing with currency note bundles in chest rooms may not have been followed by the outsourced cash-counting staff deputed by the bank through a private agency. From the letter, it is clear that Mishra entered into an agreement with the chief manager of SBI’s Ayodhya branch, Govind Mishra, during the Maha Kumbh, when excess rush of devotees was recorded at the Ram temple complex.The amount of donations grew manifold compared to earlier months during the Maha Kumbh, compelling the Trust to speed up the cash-counting process, after which a fresh MoU was signed with SBI. Rai added that other than the document that was signed between Mishra and the bank, all the correspondence with SBI from Aug 2020 onwards was done by him.Pointing out the gap in the cash-counting process which took place because of the Feb MoU, Rai said the senior management and bank officials need to be involved to examine the matter, as such an agreement does not seem in line with the usual rules and code that is followed by the cash-counting staff and private agencies.
