Ayodhya Bar Boycotts Ram Temple Donation Accused, Fines ₹5 Lakh

The Faizabad Bar Association in Ayodhya has barred its members from representing eight people arrested in connection with an alleged donation embezzlement at the Ram Temple. Any lawyer who violates the boycott faces a ₹5 lakh fine, the association said Monday.

The resolution, reported by PTI, also demands a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the case. Association president Kalika Prasad Mishra called for legal action against three temple management figures not named in the FIR: former Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao. The association gave them three days to leave Ayodhya, warning of a city blockade if they do not.

Prasad said the body would move the high court and, if needed, the Supreme Court to seek a CBI inquiry. It will also ask a magistrate to direct police to register a case against the three under Section 156(3) of the BNSS, which allows judicial intervention when police have not acted on a complaint. "We will first approach the police for registration of the case, and if no action is taken, we will seek legal remedy through the courts," Prasad said.

The Uttar Pradesh police questioned Champat Rai on Monday over the alleged theft and embezzlement of temple donations, according to multiple news reports. Rai resigned as general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after the arrests.

His brother, Sunil Bansal, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Speaking to PTI from Nagina in Bijnor district, Bansal said Champat Rai had devoted "everything" to the RSS, the Ram temple movement, and the nation.