(Photo) Curtesy : LiveLaw
NEW DELHI: No Ayodhya lawyer will represent the accused in the Ram Temple donation theft case, the Ayodhya Bar Association has decided. And if an advocate does decide to take up the case, the association plans to impose a 5 lakh fine on them.
“Proceedings will be initiated to register cases against Champat Rai, Gopal Rao and Anil Mishra. It has also been decided that a CBI probe will be demanded…If necessary, the Ayodhya Advocates’ Association will approach the Supreme Court and the High Court at its own expense,” Kalika Prasad Mishra, President, Ayodhya Bar Association, said.
‘People sent to jail are drivers, or sanitation workers…main accused are Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, authorities are protecting them,’ Association’s V-P Rajesh Kumar Upadhyay said.
The bar association asked all three, including Champat Rai who is a senior vice-president of VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and the boss of the temple management, to leave Ayodhya in three days as otherwise they will influence the probe, particularly since they hold high positions.
The association has resolved to explore initiation of proceedings against Champat Rai, Gopal Rao and Anil Mishra under Section 175 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers a judicial magistrate to order the police to register an FIR and investigate a cognizable offence.
The lawyers’ association has also demanded a CBI probe.
On speculation about retired IAS officer Nripendra Mishra being appointed as CEO of the Ram Temple trust, Upadhyay said, “When kar sevaks were fired on, he was the chief secretary in the government. We’re hearing that the government is thinking about making him the CEO. We will also oppose this also. We won’t let this happen.”
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) President Alok Kumar stated that while he has no sympathy for the eight individuals accused of embezzling Ram Mandir donations, he considers the Ayodhya Bar Association’s decision to boycott their defense a political move. He stressed that the accused still hold a constitutional right to legal representation.
The Boycott Resolution: The Ayodhya Bar Association (Faizabad Bar Association) unanimously resolved that no local lawyer will represent the eight accused arrested in the Ram Mandir donation theft case. The association threatened to impose a penalty of ₹5 lakh on any lawyer who defies the boycott.
