1 week ago
Ram Temple Donation Theft Accused Challenges Police Charges
Police are investigating claims that money donated at the Ram temple was mishandled.
Eight people connected with counting donations were arrested after an investigation team submitted its initial findings.
The accused person's lawyer says the police used the wrong legal sections.
He says theft and embezzlement should not both be used in the same case.
He also says the accused should not face a possible life sentence because they have not been convicted before.
The lawyer argues that the temple trust is not a public authority.
Police have continued investigating and have questioned more people, including a senior trust official.
The court has not yet decided whether the legal challenge is correct.
It plans to hear the matter again on September 2.
The defense says police used incompatible theft and embezzlement provisions of the BNS.
Counsel Kul Shekhar Singh argued the accused should not face life-imprisonment provisions as first-time offenders.
Singh also disputed treating the temple trust and its workers as public servants handling public property.
An Uttar Pradesh government SIT submitted preliminary findings on June 23, after which an FIR was filed and eight people were arrested.
The Ayodhya special court reserved its decision until the next hearing on September 2.
- Who
- Eight people associated with the temple’s donation-counting process were arrested; their counsel is Kul Shekhar Singh. The investigation also involves the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
- What
- The accused challenged the legal sections used in an alleged temple-donation embezzlement case.
- Where
- Before the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- The SIT submitted preliminary findings on June 23; the next hearing is scheduled for September 2.
- Why
- The defense claims theft and embezzlement provisions cannot be applied simultaneously, life-imprisonment provisions do not apply to first-time offenders, and the accused were wrongly treated as public servants.
Defense Claims
Police Investigation
Legal sections
Defense Claims
The defense says theft and embezzlement provisions were both imposed even though they cannot run simultaneously.
Police Investigation
Police registered an FIR under the sections used in their investigation after the SIT submitted preliminary findings; the article does not report a police response to the defense claim.
Possible life sentence
Defense Claims
The defense argues that life-imprisonment provisions should not apply because the accused are first-time offenders.
Police Investigation
The case includes provisions carrying life imprisonment, according to the defense’s account of the police charges.
Public-servant classification
Defense Claims
The defense says the temple trust is not a public authority and that the accused were wrongly treated as public servants handling public property.
Police Investigation
Police’s charges treated the accused as public servants and alleged embezzlement of public property, according to the defense.
Key facts
- Case
- Alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple
- Investigation team
- Special Investigation Team constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government
- Preliminary findings
- Submitted on June 23
- Arrests
- Eight people associated with the temple’s donation-counting process
- Defense counsel
- Kul Shekhar Singh
- Court
- Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), Ayodhya, presided over by Rajat Verma
- Next hearing
- September 2
Quotes
Kul Shekhar Singh
Defense counsel representing the accused in the Ram temple donation embezzlement case.
“At the same time, the Supreme Court has very clearly directed that the section of life sentence can only be imposed, when the accused is a habitual criminal or the accused has been punished before. But, in this case the accused are first-time offenders, so this section of life imprisonment does not apply here.”
deccanchronicle.com
“I pleaded before the court that sections of both theft and embezzlement have been imposed. Both of these sections cannot run simultaneously. Sections of life sentence have also been imposed against them.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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