Ayodhya Police conducted simultaneous raids at the residences of eight individuals arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple. The raids followed their remand to judicial custody, with police expected to seek custodial remand. The accused were involved in counting donations, and investigators have recovered Rs 79.85 lakh so far in a case registered under various sections including the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Eight individuals arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have been remanded in police custody until June 29. Investigators have recovered Rs 79.85 lakh and invoked charges under criminal breach of trust and the Prevention of Corruption Act, as several accused were bank employees involved in counting cash donations.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday deferred the selection of its first chief executive officer (CEO) by a month after receiving 5,200 applications for the post and decided to appoint a secretary in the interim to meet growing administrative requirements.
''These people who were running the show at the Ram temple have something to hide, therefore they are not ready for a CBI investigation.'
A suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has been booked for alleged irregularities in handling donations at the Badrinath temple. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condemned the act, calling it a "sin akin to cow slaughter," while a high-level government inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the matter. The Congress party has also demanded a judicial probe.
Former Ram temple trust chief Champat Rai has stated he will address all allegations of donation embezzlement against him only after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submits its final report. Rai, who observed 'maun dharan' (silence) on the matter, highlighted that the SIT's preliminary report has already been made public. The trust has appointed an interim general secretary and acknowledged the theft from donation boxes, while also appreciating Rai's contributions.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has strongly criticised the Faizabad Bar Association's resolution to prevent advocates from representing those accused in the alleged theft of donations from the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, calling the move 'unethical and unlawful' and a violation of constitutional principles and professional ethics.
A private hospital in Ayodhya, India, has been sealed and is under investigation following the deaths of a woman and her newborn, allegedly due to medical negligence during childbirth.
'But two things worked against them: People kept coming forward, and -- crucially -- these were not outsiders.'
A preliminary report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, linking him to a suspected 40-day racket involving nearly 70 instances of pilferage from the donation-counting system.
'What struck me at the time was simply the scale of it -- that something of this magnitude could be unfolding inside the Ram temple itself.' 'It was bewildering. And what troubled me further was the manner in which people were shielding it.'
An employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has been suspended following a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the management of donations at Badrinath Dham. Both the BKTC and the Uttarakhand government have launched separate investigations into the matter, which gained attention after social media allegations and a formal complaint. The government committee is expected to submit its report within 15 days.
The Ram temple trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Champat Rai as its general secretary and member Anil Mishra in the wake of embezzlement of donations. Trustee Krishna Mohan has been named as interim general secretary. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also announced the formation of a three-member committee to identify a chief executive officer (CEO) for the temple trust.
Investigators recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash and some foreign currency from six of the accused.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticised the BJP, accusing it of betraying Hindus by allegedly embezzling donations for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He vowed to lead protests for "BJP-mukt Ram" and questioned the BJP's Hindutva, calling it a "Pakistan Janata Party" for its alleged party-splitting tactics and questioning citizenship. Thackeray also targeted rebel MPs, including Sanjay Deshmukh, for their defection.
A caste recalibration is simmering just below the surface in UP.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the investigation into the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The counsel for one of the arrested individuals, Raj Singh, has welcomed the CBI probe and criticised the West Bengal Police's handling of the arrest.
A special MP-MLA court acquitted all six accused, including Ayodhya MLA Abhay Singh, in a 24-year-old Nadesar shootout case involving former Jaunpur MP Dhananjay Singh due to insufficient evidence.
A special TADA court in Jamnagar convicted 12 individuals in connection with the 1993 arms landing case linked to Dawood Ibrahim, while acquitting 17 others. The case involves a conspiracy to smuggle weapons into India to avenge the Babri Masjid demolition.
A student in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly assaulted after protesting against the UGC Bill. Police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.
A TADA court in Jamnagar convicted 12 individuals in connection with the 1993 arms landing case, linked to Dawood Ibrahim, intended to avenge the Babri Masjid demolition. Ten of the convicted were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment.
The Allahabad High Court acquitted a man who served 11 years in prison for a rape conviction, citing significant flaws in the police investigation and a lack of conclusive evidence linking him to the crime.
Terror accused Abdul Rehman was murdered in Neemla Jail in Faridabad following a fight with another inmate, Arun Chaudhary, who allegedly stabbed him with a sharp weapon. Police are investigating the incident.
Ayodhya district administration has imposed a complete ban on unauthorised drone operations across the district following an order by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath due to potential drone-related threats.
Tensions between Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have drawn national attention in recent months.
Ajit Pawar became a ray of hope for Muslims, the only man in power who could resolve their grievances.
A video clip of the purported remark quickly went viral on social media, prompting local BJP MLA Raj Prasad Upadhyay to seek action against the doctor.
As many as 3,800 bamboo and 36 projector lights worth over Rs 50 lakh installed on Bhakti Path and Ram Path, located in a high-security area in Ayodhya, were allegedly stolen, according to police.
While the Congress top brass has declined an invitation to the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit stuck to its plan to offer prayers in the holy city on Makar Sankranti.
Prominent wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been holding protests since April 23 accusing Singh of sexual exploitation.
A court in Lucknow ordered on Wednesday to register a first information report (FIR) against senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid for comparing the 'Sanatan' Hindu religion with the Boko Haram and Islamic State (ISIS) terror outfits in his book titled Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots, died on Saturday in Ahmedabad at the age of 86. Ehsan Jafri was among 69 persons who were killed inside Gulbarg Society, a Muslim neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, on February 28, 2002, a day after coaches of the Sabarmati Express train were burnt in Godhra, resulting in the deaths of 59 'karsevaks' returning from Ayodhya. The incident triggered horrific rioting across the state. Zakia Jafri hit the national headlines as she waged a legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court in a bid to hold top political leaders accountable for the large conspiracy for the riots post the Godhra train burning episode. Her son Tanveer Jafri said that his mother was visiting his sister's house in Ahmedabad when she complained of feeling uneasy. The doctor who was called in declared her dead at around 11:30 am. Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was co-complainant in Jafri's protest petition in the Supreme Court, posted on X that Zakia Jafri was a compassionate leader of the human rights community.
About 3,500 jurists, academics, actors, artistes, writers and people from other walks of life called the registration of the FIR against The Wire's founding editor an attack on press freedom.
Can ordinary citizens counter this backward march? Can peace activists ensure that the two communities retain their bonds? Do they have a choice, asks Jyoti Punwani.
Family members alleged that it was a communal incident because the attackers were from another community, however, police denied that the dispute was on religious grounds.
The arrested belong to an outfit called the 'Hindu Yodha Sangathan', and the leader of the group is a history-sheeter with four criminal cases registered against him, police said.
The principal opposition party though appeared content securing 99 of the 543 seats in the 2024 national elections as against its all-time low of 44 in 2014 and then 52 in 2019.
Demand disbanding of WFI
Bhatt was earlier sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1990 custodial death case in Jamnagar and 20 years in jail in a 1996 case relating to planting drugs to frame a Rajasthan-based lawyer in Palanpur. He is currently lodged in the Rajkot Central Jail.
