New Delhi: Responding to questions around the Ayodhya Ram temple donation theft, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Govindadev Giri on Monday (July 6) played it safe when asked about his own accountability, saying he was only responsible for the money that reached the Trust’s accounts. “What did not reach the accounts was the responsibility of other people,” he said, as quoted by The Times of India.The comments came after the Trust announced that they had accepted the resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra following a meeting of the trustees in Ayodhya. The duo, in the eye of the storm since the allegations of theft came to light, had resigned on June 27 after the Uttar Pradesh police arrested eight people in connection with the case. On media reports suggesting transactions outside the accounting system, Giri said he had no knowledge of such activities. “I have seen these reports in the media. It may have happened, I am not denying that possibility, but I had no information about it…I monitor the accounts through a team of chartered accountants based in Pune.”“Since I do not stay here, my chartered accountants visit Ayodhya for five days every month, examine all the accounts and report back to me. We work through delegation,” he said.Giri also downplayed former general secretary Rai’s role, saying he had simply placed his faith in “the wrong people”. Terming the probe “truth under investigation”, he said, “The trustees did not betray the Trust. This betrayal happened because Champat Rai, whom we consider a highly respected person, trusted the wrong people. He kept such people close to him for many years, and they betrayed the Trust.”Meanwhile, he confirmed to the press that the theft indeed took place. “Theft happened. That is the truth. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case, and facts will emerge in its report,” he said, adding that there was no proposal regarding the return of Rai and Mishra after the investigation is complete.He further rejected allegations that valuable offerings made to the temple had gone missing, saying the Trust displayed before the media the five items that had become the subject of public discussion, “We placed the register of 2,800 donated items before the media. All the articles are available, and authorised people may inspect them. We displayed the items to address the concerns that were raised,” he said.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has reportedly expanded its probe to examine more than Rs 124 crore spent by the Trust on major events, including the January 22, 2024, consecration ceremony, Maha Kumbh 2025 arrangements, as well as the November 2025 flag-hoisting event.According to a separate TOI report, the SIT is conducting an audit of the Trust’s financial records of the past two years, examining audit reports, payment vouchers, bills, chartered accountant records and expenditure statements to verify whether funds were utilised in accordance with the Trust’s prescribed financial procedures and approvals.The largest expenditure among them was Rs 113 crore spent on the consecration ceremony, which was attended by nearly 8,000 guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many other ministers and politicians, Bollywood actors, business folks, and social media influencers.