The Faizabad Bar Association in Ayodhya has announced a stringent measure against lawyers who choose to represent individuals accused in the alleged embezzlement of donations from the Ram Temple. At a general body meeting held on Monday, the association resolved that any of its members defending the eight arrested accused in the Ram Temple funds theft case would face a penalty of ₹5 lakh.
Bar Association's Rationale and Demands
The decision was prompted by strong sentiments among the legal community, who expressed that they felt deeply hurt by the alleged theft of temple offerings. Shailendra Jaiswal, secretary of the Bar Association, confirmed the collective agreement, stating, "The sentiments of all of us have been hurt by the theft of temple offerings. The lawyers of Faizabad have agreed not to plead on behalf of the arrested accused."
The eight individuals accused and currently in judicial custody until June 29 are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav. These individuals were reportedly involved in counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram temple.
In addition to the penalty resolution, lawyers at the meeting also demanded that Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, all associated with the temple's management but not named in the initial FIR, "must leave" Ayodhya. A three-day ultimatum was issued, with a warning that failure to comply would result in a blockade of the entire city, preventing entry to anyone.
Supreme Court's Stance and Historical Precedent
Coinciding with the Bar Association's decision, the Supreme Court refused to grant an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement. A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu stated that the matter would be listed after the summer break, remarking, "Heavens are not going to fall… What is the urgency."
The plea, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, called for a CBI-led multidisciplinary special investigation team to investigate financial irregularities within the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It also sought directions for the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government, and the temple trust to establish regulatory and audit mechanisms.
This is not the first time the Faizabad Bar Association has taken such a stance. A similar decision was made in 2005 following a terrorist attack on the then makeshift Ram temple, where lawyers collectively decided not to defend the accused in that case.