Claim
The trust deed says no trust member is personally liable for any loss, meaning the deed already contains an arrangement giving immunity to Champat Rai and Anil Mishra.
“ट्रस्ट का कोई भी सदस्य किसी भी तरह के नुकसान के लिए निजी तौर पर जिम्मेदार नहीं होगा। यानी ट्रस्ट की डीड में पहले से ही चंपत राय और अनिल मिश्रा को इम्यूनिटी देने का इंतजाम है।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The trust deed of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is not public, and no fact-checker or primary source available as of 2 July 2026 confirms the exact clause the anchor quoted. Even if the deed contains a standard clause exempting trustees from personal liability for losses, the anchor's framing — that the deed 'already contains an arrangement giving immunity to Champat Rai and Anil Mishra' — is misleading: such exculpation clauses are boilerplate in Indian trust deeds, were drafted in February 2020 for all 15 trustees (not these two individuals), typically exclude fraud/wilful default, and provide no immunity from the ongoing SIT criminal investigation into the donation scam. Neither man was named in the FIR, and both resigned citing moral responsibility rather than invoking any deed protection.
Evidence
- https://www.timesnowhindi.com/india/ram-mandir-donation-row-cic-says-ram-mandir-trust-not-answerable-to-government-article-154892298 CIC/MHA statements confirm the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is an independent body outside RTI; the trust deed's text is not publicly available, so the quoted 'no personal liability' clause cannot be independently confirmed. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.aajtak.in/uttar-pradesh/story/champat-rai-and-anil-mishra-resign-quit-ram-mandir-trust-amidst-donation-misappropriation-controversy-lcla-dskc-2588056-2026-06-26 Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were not named in the donation-theft FIR; they resigned on 'moral grounds' on 26 June 2026 — no deed clause was invoked as legal immunity. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://thefederal.com/category/states/north/uttar-pradesh/ram-temple-donation-scam-sit-to-re-audit-ayodhya-trust-accounts-for-five-years-248902 As of the broadcast date the SIT had questioned Rai and Mishra and ordered a 5-year re-audit, showing an active criminal probe that a trust-deed exculpation clause could not block. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2327/3/A1882-02.pdf Indian Trusts Act, 1882: trustees remain liable for breach of trust, and no deed clause can confer immunity from criminal prosecution for embezzlement or criminal breach of trust. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://lawsisto.com/readdeedsdrafts/NTkx/TRUST-DEED-FOR-ESTABLISHMENT-OF-A-TEMPLE Standard Indian temple trust deed templates routinely contain clauses that trustees are not liable for losses unless caused by fraud/wilful default — a generic drafting convention, not a targeted immunity arrangement. ✓ reachable · archived