New Delhi: In his submission before the special investigation team (SIT) that is probing the allegations of embezzlement of fund from the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Champat Rai, former general secretary of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has claimed that he did not approve guidelines issued in February 2025 for the cash counting process in the temple.Saying that he “rejects” the letter, which has the signatures of another former Trust member Anil Mishra and Govind Mishra, the chief manager of the State Bank of India, Ayodhya Branch.“I do not agree with this letter at all. I reject it, although it states that a copy was sent to the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. I received information about this guideline letter from my account office on June 13, 2026,” Rai has said in his one-page submission in Hindi before the SIT dated July 6.“My signature is not on these documents, whereas all the contracts signed between August 2020 and June 2026 bear only my signature and that of the chief official of the other party. Why was my signature not obtained on this guideline letter? If I was not in Ayodhya, they should have waited,” said Rai.Notably, Rai, along with Anil Mishra has resigned as members of the temple Trust over the allegations of embezzlement of the temple funds and irregularities in the counting process of offerings made by devotees.“An MOU was signed with the bank on February 9, 2024, and my signature is on every page. According to the MOU, all security measures were taken, including CCTV cameras and iron-barred doors in the counting room,” said Rai in his submission.In his submission, Rai has alleged that the bank’s advice of counting the funds on a table while sitting on a chair facilitated the theft.‘Counting on chair, table, facilitated theft’“The bank advised sitting on a chair and counting on a table, which facilitated the theft. When the accident (theft) came to light, the table was immediately removed, and counting began on the floor. All banks in the country must have certain chest room rules. State Bank rules are strict, including special searches upon entering and exiting the counting room, and clothing without pockets. The bank failed to enforce these rules, despite the guidelines being written in the letter,” said Rai.Rai claimed that the first clothes the bank provided had pockets.“Senior bank officials will explain how the laxity in following chest room rules occurred. I believe the rules followed in banks were completely ignored. Perhaps even the senior officials were unaware of this guideline, otherwise the mistake would have been caught at some level. This guideline was written in a hurry, and the bank did not follow even the written instructions. The young men selected for counting were hired as housekeeping staff. Is this appropriate, in my opinion? No. That’s why I believe the senior bank officials probably don’t know anything,” Rai said in his submission before the SIT.Earlier, Rai, who is also the international vice-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had announced that he is going “maun” or completely silent.Rai’s name was repeatedly brought up by individuals close to him, some since many years, including his colleagues involved in the management of the Ram temple. They blamed him (and some other people) for the scandal and said the investigation should include them as accused.While the Faizabad Bar Association wants an FIR against him, a former associate, BJP parliamentarian Vinay Katiyar, “predicted” he would be jailed. All such remarks were made in public, before television cameras and to reporters, which promoted his resignation from the trust under a cloud last week.Rai’s associate ‘Tinnu’ Yadav is one of the accused in the case and the SIT names him as well as Anil Mishra and the eight people already arrested in the case. Mishra stepped down from the trust the same day as him. The SIT’s preliminary report does not mention Rai.