Ayodhya Bar Resolves Not to Defend Accused in Ram Temple Donation Theft Case

Ayodhya, June 29: The Faizabad Bar Association on Monday resolved that none of its members would represent the eight accused arrested in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Temple. The association also warned that any lawyer violating the resolution would have to deposit a ₹5 lakh contribution per accused into the Bar Association's account before appearing in the case.

The decision was taken during the Bar Association's general body meeting, a day after members indicated they were unlikely to appear for the accused, citing outrage over the alleged theft of temple offerings.

Bar Association Secretary Shailendra Jaiswal said the alleged misappropriation had deeply hurt the sentiments of the legal fraternity.

"The sentiments of all of us have been hurt by the theft of temple offerings. The lawyers of Faizabad have agreed not to plead on behalf of the arrested accused," Jaiswal said.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Bar Association President Advocate Kalika Prasad Mishra said that if any lawyer chooses to represent the accused after depositing the prescribed amount, the Bar would use the money to assist the prosecution in pursuing the case.

Mishra also announced that the Bar Association would write to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking a probe into the alleged embezzlement. He said that if the pending petitions before the Allahabad High Court do not result in a CBI investigation, the association will independently approach the High Court, and if necessary, the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored CBI inquiry.

He further stated that the Bar would seek registration of an FIR against Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra TrustGeneral Secretary Champat Rai, along with Gopal Rao and Anil Mishra, in connection with the alleged irregularities.

The resolution comes hours after the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged embezzlement of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Meanwhile, two public interest litigations seeking an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations and valuables at the Ram Temple are pending before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court.

So far, eight accused—Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, Karunesh Pandey, and another accused named in the case records—have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.

The accused were remanded to judicial custody on June 27 and are scheduled to be produced before the special court dealing with corruption cases. According to reports, investigating agencies have recovered ₹79.85 lakh from the accused so far.

The resolution comes amid public outrage over the alleged embezzlement of donations made by devotees at the Ram Temple.