AYODHYA: The local bar association on Monday warned its members against representing the accused in the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case, saying anyone who does so will face a fine of ₹5 lakh, and asking those linked to the controversy to leave Ayodhya within three days. It threatened to blockade the city if Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, who have been linked to the controversy, did not leave.
“The theft of temple offerings has deeply hurt our sentiments. All lawyers…have agreed not to defend the arrested accused,” said Faizabad Bar Association secretary, Shailendra Jaiswal, after a meeting of their general body.
In 2005, the association refused to represent those accused in a terrorist attack on the makeshift temple in Ayodhya.
The association met on Monday as investigators widened the probe to trace the alleged money trail, identify undisclosed assets, and gather fresh evidence before seeking police custody of the accused. On Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh Police raided the residences of all eight arrested accused in the donation theft case.
Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, who has been named as the alleged kingpin, worked as Rai’s driver. Rai has submitted his resignation as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which runs the temple.
On Saturday, the trust said a final call on Rai and Mishra’s move to step down will be taken at an upcoming meeting amid mounting speculation over the future of the two top trust functionaries following the arrest of eight men, including Yadav and two relatives of Mishra. Police recovered nearly ₹80 lakh in cash from the homes of the accused.
The trust sought to reassure devotees and said it remained committed to ensuring a fair and transparent investigation.
On June 13, the state government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the trust’s request. The panel conducted a preliminary inquiry in Ayodhya between June 15 and 20 and flagged prima facie irregularities in handling cash and valuables.
A case was registered against the eight named accused and other unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
