Lawyers seek FIR against Champat Rai, Gopal Rao, hold protest in Ayodhya

Lawyers of the Faizabad Bar Association on Thursday, 2 July staged a protest march and submitted a complaint to police seeking registration of an FIR against Ram temple trust general-secretary Champat Rai, trust member Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao over allegations of embezzlement of donations received by the temple.

The complaint also names Krishna Mohan, the trustee whose complaint led to the first FIR in the case, as an accused, Faizabad Bar Association president Kalika Prasad Mishra said.

The lawyers marched from the court premises to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station, raising slogans and demanding an FIR against the senior trust functionaries as well as a fair and impartial investigation into the allegations.

The protest witnessed heavy police deployment, with officers struggling to control the crowd as it made its way to the police station. Some lawyers alleged they sustained minor injuries during the jostling.

At the police station, several advocates gathered inside the station house officer's office along with media personnel, insisting that a case be registered immediately. Police officials sought to calm the protesters, assuring them that the complaint would be examined and action taken in accordance with the law.

Speaking to reporters, Mishra said the association had sought an FIR against Rai, Mishra and Rao over the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations and demanded an impartial probe into the matter. Rao is associated with the temple's construction work.

"A written complaint has been submitted. Five people have gone to collect the hard copy of the complaint. If they do not provide the copy, the protest will continue. The police have said that action will be taken and have given full assurance regarding the matter. The FIR includes Champat Rai ji, Anil Mishra ji, Gopal Rao, and Krishna Dev (the complainant in the first FIR). For now, we will see what action is taken at Kotwali Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station," Mishra told PTI Videos.

He warned that the bar association would launch an agitation if police failed to register a case against the accused.

Police had not issued any official response to the complaint at the time of filing this report.

The controversy over the temple's donation funds began on 7 June after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement in the handling of donations.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its preliminary report on 23 June. An FIR was subsequently registered on 25 June, and eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process were arrested.

Investigators have since recorded the statement of Rai, who recently offered to resign while taking what he described as "moral responsibility" for the controversy.

With PTI inputs