Police Remand Plea for Two Accused to Be Heard on July 14 as Investigation Continues
Ayodhya (Economy India): A special anti-corruption court in Faizabad has extended the judicial custody of eight accused in the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case by another 14 days, directing that they remain in custody until July 27.
The accused were produced before the court of Additional District Judge Pratibha Narayan via video conferencing after their earlier period of judicial custody expired on Monday.
Court Extends Custody
The court ordered all eight accused to remain in judicial custody till July 27, while the investigation into the alleged diversion of temple donations continues.
Police Seek Custody of Two Accused
The prosecution has sought police remand of Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava. The court is scheduled to hear and decide the plea on July 14.
According to the prosecution, statements made by the two accused during the investigation have provided fresh leads, making custodial interrogation necessary to verify facts and recover evidence related to the alleged misappropriation of donations.
Key Roles Under Investigation
Investigators allege that:
- Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, a former driver of Champat Rai, was responsible for handling the keys of the temple donation boxes.
- Subhash Srivastava, a former bank employee, was associated with supervising the donation counting process.
Their alleged roles are central to the ongoing investigation into the suspected diversion of temple donation funds.
SIT Probe Continues
Police have already completed custodial interrogation of four other accused—Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey—and claim to have collected important evidence related to the alleged theft.
The eight accused named in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report include:
- Avinash Shukla
- Anukalp Mishra
- Lavkush Mishra
- Manish Kumar Yadav
- Karunesh Pandey
- Ramashankar Mishra
- Subhash Srivastava
- Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu
The SIT report formed the basis for their arrests.
Case Background
All eight accused were initially produced before the Special Anti-Corruption Court on June 29, when they were remanded to judicial custody for two weeks. At that stage, the police had not sought custodial interrogation. The investigation has since progressed, prompting the prosecution to seek police custody of two of the accused.
(Economy India)
