'No lawyer will represent Ram Temple theft accused': Bar association
What's the story
The Ayodhya Bar Association has said its lawyers will not represent the eight accused in the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir. The accused are set to be produced before a Special Court for Corruption Act cases in Ayodhya on Monday. The advocates' association held a meeting at 10:30am, after which its president Kalika Prasad Mishra said, "No lawyer will represent the accused in the case and if anyone does...fine of ₹5 lakh will be imposed on them."
Legal proceedings
Tight security at Ayodhya court
Tight security has been implemented at the Ayodhya court, with a large police presence posted both inside and outside the compound. The defendants were sent to custody until Monday by the remand magistrate on Friday. They are expected to be returned to judicial custody after Monday's appearance. The eight accused are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar, alias Tinnu Yadav.
Case
Investigators looking into close residential ties among accused
According to an India Today report, five of the eight accused lived within 100-200 meters of each other in Ayodhya's Kaushpalpuri Colony or were related. Lav Kush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, and Anukalp Mishra live in the same neighborhood. Avinash's house is directly behind Lav's residence, while Anukalp's house is about 200 meters away. Manish Yadav and Tinnu Yadav also live next to each other.
Reports
Embezzlement only came to light on June 7
Reports also suggest that Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust knew about the suspected misappropriation of temple donations days before it became public. India Today sources said Trust representatives, on General Secretary Champat Rai's instructions, took police to Avinash's house on June 5, where cash was allegedly recovered. Rai resigned on Friday on moral grounds. However, no formal complaint was lodged with the police at that time. The alleged embezzlement only came to light on June 7.
SIT
SIT formed at trust's request amid political firestorm
The Uttar Pradesh government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's request. The controversy gained political traction on June 7 when Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised concerns over unaccounted temple donations and urged legal action. Between ₹7 and 7.5 crore in cash was missing from the temple records, although the exact amount is yet unknown. Police have recovered ₹79.85 lakh from the accused so far.