Ayodhya lawyers plan march to file FIR in Ram Temple fund misuse case

The Faizabad Bar Association will march to file an FIR against former Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust officials over alleged fund embezzlement at the Ram Temple. It also demanded CBI and ED investigations, warning of legal action if police refuse

Ayodhya: Faizabad Bar Association President Kalika Prasad Mishra on Thursday said that lawyers will take out a foot march to the Ram Janmabhoomi police station to submit a formal complaint seeking the registration of an FIR against Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s former General Secretary Champat Rai, former trustee Anil Mishra, and others regarding the alleged embezzlement of funds and donations at the Ram Temple.

“We have decided to march till there (police station) on foot to register the complaint, but if we are stopped on our way, then we will ask them to accept our application in front of the media and put a stamp on it. We will take a decision at the Bar Association and act accordingly,” Mishra told IANS.

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“For us, this will be the first FIR since it is completely separate from the previous FIR that was lodged against eight accused. We are registering this complaint against different people,” he added.

Raising concerns over the way the previous FIR was lodged, he said: “There are serious questions over how the recovery of cash has been mentioned by the police. For example, the police have recovered the cash from ten different places, but it has been mentioned together.”

Mishra said that the lawyers will seek registration of an FIR against Champat Rai, Mishra, and other members. “More names can get added,” he added.

Seeking a CBI inquiry into the case, the Bar Association President said: “The rest of the things we will leave on Lord Ram.”

However, he warned that if the police do not register their complaint, then “the lawyers might file an impeachment against those who are found to be involved in misdoings.”

“Legislature has provisions for everything,” he added.

Moreover, he blamed the police saying: “Those people (Champat Rai and others) have been provided security by them (police), so how will they (police) lodge an FIR against them? But if they don’t lodge the complaint, then we will keep searching out their misdeeds.”

“The police have failed…despite such heavy security this large-scale misappropriation took place,” he added.

Further, Mishra also sought the Enforcement Directorate’s intervention in the case, saying: “There is so much money involved, who will probe if the ED does not come in? In fact, it should have come in by now.”