Ayodhya Court Rejects Bail Pleas in Ram Temple Donation Theft Case

A special court in Ayodhya on September 21 rejected bail applications for three accused linked to the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple. The decision was made after hearing arguments from their lawyer, Kul Shekhar Singh.

The accused—Avinash Shukla, Manish Kumar Yadav, and Ram Shankar Mishra—had their bail applications reviewed by Special Judge Rajat Verma of the Anti-Corruption Court. Their judicial custody was extended until September 21 during previous court proceedings on September 18.

Singh argued that the corruption charges applied by police were inappropriate since the accused were not government employees. He claimed the remaining charges carried a maximum punishment of seven years, making bail possible without special circumstances. However, the court denied the bail requests after considering all arguments.

Bail hearings for three other accused are scheduled for September 22, while two others will appear on September 23. The case involves the alleged embezzlement of cash and valuables donated at the temple. Eight individuals were arrested following an FIR filed on June 25 based on a state government report.

Most of the accused were bank employees handling donations, with Subhash Srivastava overseeing the process and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav serving as a driver linked to former trust official Champat Rai.

Prosecutors have recovered ₹79.85 lakh so far. The court previously deferred bail hearings due to delayed submissions by police but eventually dismissed the requests after reviewing evidence.