LUCKNOW: A day after the registration of an FIR against eight persons in connection with the alleged embezzlement of Ayodhya Ram temple donation funds and valuables, all eight were arrested and sent into judicial custody on Friday.
Meanwhile, day-long confusion prevailed over the reported resignations of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Mishra amid the controversy.
However, neither the Temple Trust nor the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) confirmed the resignations of the two trust office-bearers. They also did not deny the reports, claiming ignorance about the development.
According to reports, both Champat Rai and Anil Mishra submitted their resignations on moral grounds to ensure a fair and impartial probe into the ongoing controversy.
According to VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal, the organisation had no information about Rai's resignation from the post.
Even VHP Ayodhya spokesperson Sharad Sharma denied having any information about the move. However, repeated attempts to contact Rai and Mishra for their response proved futile as both remained incommunicado.
The reported developments came amid mounting pressure on Champat Rai, the former international vice-president of the VHP, and Anil Mishra following the preliminary findings of the ongoing SIT investigation into alleged irregularities in the handling of temple donations.
Meanwhile, temple construction in-charge Gopal Rao was allegedly divested of his responsibilities related to temple construction and the management of its affairs.
On the other hand, VHP International President Alok Kumar said on Friday that temple trust General Secretary Champat Rai should also be investigated in connection with the alleged irregularities involving funds and valuables.
While interacting with media persons, Kumar said the scope of the probe should not be limited to the eight accused. “Allegations against Champat Rai, Anil Mishra (trustee) and Gopal Rao (trust official) should be investigated. There is no need to save anyone,” he added.
Earlier, eight accused, including Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Champat Rai's driver, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and Karunesh Pandey, were arrested late on Thursday night after the registration of an FIR against them.
On Friday, all eight were produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and Civil Judge (Junior Division) Nivedita Singh. The CJM remanded all eight accused to judicial custody until Monday.
According to KC Verma, Prosecution Officer for Ayodhya, Judge Nivedita Singh said: “Eight accused persons were arrested, and they have been remanded to judicial custody until Monday. They will be produced in court again on Monday.”
A total of Rs 79,85,493 was recovered from the possession of the accused.
The first FIR in the case was registered late on Thursday evening following a complaint filed by trust member Krishna Mohan. However, the FIR does not name senior office-bearers, including Champat Rai and Dr Anil Mishra.
The issue came to the fore after allegations of misappropriation of donations surfaced.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. While there are no allegations against Rai personally, sources said he chose to resign on moral grounds to avoid any perception of influencing the investigation.
All eight accused were booked under Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 317 (cheating) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police sources said.
Officials indicated that further arrests could be made and additional sections invoked if fresh evidence emerges during the investigation.
While Lavkush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra were among those involved in counting the cash and valuables received as donations at the temple, Tinnu Yadav served as the driver of Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and had been involved in the temple's management since the consecration ceremony in 2024, an official said.