AYODHYA, September 22, 2026 – A special Anti-Corruption Court in Ayodhya decisively rejected the bail applications of three individuals arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of cash and valuables offered by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. During a hearing held on Monday, Special Judge Rajat Verma dismissed the bail pleas of Avinash Shukla, Manish Kumar Yadav, and Ram Shankar Mishra. These three are part of a larger group of eight accused currently lodged in jail, whose judicial custody was formally extended until September 21 by the court last Friday. Advocate Kul Shekhar Singh, representing the accused, vigorously argued during the proceedings that the legal provisions pertaining to corruption and criminal breach of trust by a public servant had been wrongly invoked by the police, contending that the accused individuals were not government employees. The defence counsel asserted that in the absence of these specific provisions, the remaining alleged offences carried a maximum punishment of only seven years, thereby establishing a strong ground for granting bail.
Despite the defence’s arguments and their submission that the investigating agencies had thus far failed to file a formal chargesheet, the court opted to deny the bail requests after a thorough hearing. Advocate Singh subsequently confirmed that the bail applications of three other co-accused are scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, while the pleas for the remaining two will be taken up by the court on Wednesday. The high-profile case stems from an FIR registered on June 25, which followed a preliminary inquiry report submitted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government to probe financial irregularities at the temple. The eight arrested individuals primarily include bank employees specifically deployed for counting cash donations, as well as a supervisor and a driver. According to the prosecution, the investigation has led to the successful recovery of approximately ₹79.85 lakh in embezzled funds so far, as authorities continue to scrutinize the full extent of the systemic theft targeting the temple’s offerings.
Published by True Roots Media Network