India, July 15 -- Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj on Tuesday ruled out resigning over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying he was not personally at fault and that the State Bank of India (SBI) should have exercised greater vigilance as all those arrested so far were bank employees.

Addressing reporters in Pune, Giri Maharaj said his "penance" was to prevent a recurrence, not resign.

"I never said I would resign. I am a follower of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and I am not one of those who run away. When the time demands that I should fight, it is not in our dharma to quit the field," he said, dismissing reports of his resignation as "malicious".

He said t...