The ruling party cited a resolution by the Faizabad Bar Association, which resolved that none of its members will represent the eight accused arrested in the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations and warned that any lawyer violating the decision will face a Rs 5-lakh penalty.
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BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the decision reflects the sentiments of Hindu society, stressing that those who betray faith or defend such betrayal will never receive the blessings of the community.
“This is a powerful message from Hindu society. Those accused of looting in Ayodhya are not only facing the full force of the law, they are also facing social boycott,” he said in a post on X.
Bhandari alleged that opposition parties, driven by “appeasement politics”, have repeatedly stood with the accused for “vote-bank gains”.
“The Samajwadi Party backed those accused in the Ayodhya and Varanasi blast cases. Lawyers like Kapil Sibal have also represented accused in high-profile matters such as the CAA and Delhi riots cases,” he claimed.”Hindu civilisation has endured for centuries because it has always stood firmly with truth and justice. Those who betray faith and those who defend such betrayal will never receive the blessings of society,” he added.
The Monday resolution was passed at the Association’s general body meeting after lawyers on Sunday indicated they were unlikely to defend the accused, saying their sentiments had been hurt by the alleged theft of temple offerings.
The eight accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav — are associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram Temple.
They were arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement and were remanded to judicial custody till June 29.
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At the Bar Association meeting, lawyers vocally demanded that Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, all associated with the management of the temple (but not mentioned as accused in the FIR), “must leave” Ayodhya.
The lawyers warned that if the trio did not leave within three days, the entire city of Ayodhya would be blockaded and no one would be allowed to enter.
