Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 19 (ANI): The judicial custody of eight accused arrested in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was extended till September 21, according to their lawyer, Bakulshekhar Singh, Deputy Chief Legal and Defence Counsel.

The eight accused, Avinash Shukla, Ankalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Rama Shankar (alias Tinnu), were arrested in connection with the case.

Police had registered an FIR at Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station over alleged financial misappropriation involving the donation of funds at the Ram Temple.

The FIR was registered on June 25. 

The complaint was lodged by Krishanmohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The complaint accused the individuals of theft, embezzlement, and planned misappropriation of funds donated by devotees.

Earlier, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust clarified the facts regarding the selection process of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), rejecting claims being circulated in certain media reports that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra did not participate in the interview rounds.

In a statement issued here on Monday by Trust General Secretary Swami Govind Dev Giri, the Trust said the Search Committee for the CEO selection process was constituted on July 6, 2026, and received 5,585 applications.

The committee conducted a multi-tier evaluation process involving AI-based screening and manual assessment across three cities: Delhi NCR, Pune and Sambalpur, the statement said. 

'16 candidates were selected as finalists, who participated in face-to-face interviews in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12, 2026,' the Trust said.

According to the statement, Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra participated in the interview process on August 11 during the first session.

The Search Committee submitted its final report and recommendations to the Trust on September 1, following which the Trust publicly presented the names of the three top recommended candidates on September 2. (ANI)