The Ayodhya Bar Association has refused to represent the accused in the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case. The development comes as police question SBI officials and the Supreme Court declines an urgent hearing on a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe.
A view of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir complex (Information Department/ANI Photo)
The alleged embezzlement of donations collected at the Ram Temple took another dramatic turn on Monday after the Ayodhya Bar Association announced that none of its members would appear for the accused, even as investigators widened the probe and the Supreme Court declined to urgently hear a petition seeking a court-monitored investigation.
Addressing lawyers after a Bar Association meeting, president Kalika Prasad Mishra said no advocate would represent those arrested in the case. He added that any member violating the Association’s decision would be liable to pay a Rs 5 lakh penalty.
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The announcement came on a day when the investigation moved to the banking system that handled the temple’s donations.
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#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case | Kalika Prasad Mishra, President, Ayodhya Bar Association says, “No lawyer will represent the accused in the case and if anyone does, a fine of Rs 5 lakh will be imposed on them” https://t.co/6qBJejQvzj pic.twitter.com/uqZqaLDnKu
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2026
A police team visited the State Bank of India branch at Naya Ghat, where the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust maintains its principal account, to gather information related to the movement and handling of temple donations.
Investigators are expected to question the branch manager. Statements of bank officials are also likely to form part of the investigation.
Police are examining the role of two SBI employees, Ratnesh and Gagandeep, who supervised outsourced workers engaged in counting donations and transporting the cash to the bank.
So far, eight people have been arrested in the alleged embezzlement case. Six of them were outsourced personnel deployed for donation-related work, while Subhash and Tinnu are the other two accused.
According to sources quoted by NDTV, SBI had advised that the donation-counting staff be replaced nearly three months ago after irregularities were suspected. The recommendation, however, was allegedly not acted upon after objections from some members of the temple trust.
As the investigation gathers pace, police have recorded the statement of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, who resigned from the post last week.
Sources indicated that notices could also be served on former trustee Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao in the coming days.
Investigators have also begun tracing the alleged proceeds of the crime. During searches conducted on Sunday, police recovered jewellery and documents from the residence of one of the accused.
The case was registered after a member of the Trust filed a complaint based on findings of a preliminary Special Investigation Team (SIT) report that pointed to alleged irregularities in the handling of temple donations.
Police have said further action will depend on interrogation of the accused and examination of CCTV footage. All eight accused have been remanded to judicial custody till June 29.
Separately, the Supreme Court on Monday refused an urgent listing of a public interest litigation seeking a court-monitored investigation and forensic audit of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
When the matter was mentioned before a Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu, the petitioner argued that the allegations were “very serious” and requested an immediate hearing.
Questioning the urgency, the Bench asked, “What’s the urgency?”, before directing that the matter be listed after the court reopens following the summer vacation.
The petition, filed by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, seeks preservation of records, CCTV footage and digital logs linked to temple donations. It also seeks safeguards to ensure greater transparency in the management of offerings received by temples of national importance.
The plea says it is confined to the secular administration of donations and does not seek judicial intervention in religious customs or rituals.
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