# Ayodhya court extends custody of 8 Ram temple theft accused 2026-08-11T01:58:44+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A court in Ayodhya on Monday extended the judicial custody of all eight accused in the Ram temple donation theft case by 14 days, till August 24. Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) Rajat Varma passed the order after the accused were produced via video-conferencing from district jail. However, defence counsel Kulshekhar Singh objected to the sections invoked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), arguing that police wrongly applied provisions for theft and embezzlement together and a life-imprisonment clause meant for habitual offenders. Singh claims the accused are first-time offenders and will get bail under correct sections. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had sought an SIT probe after the alleged theft came to light in June, leading to six arrests for theft and two for conspiracy. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com Tags: Ayodhya, BNS, donation theft, judicial custody, Ram temple, SIT Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ayodhya-court-extends-custody-of-8-ram-temple-theft-accused/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ayodhya-court-extends-custody-of-8-ram-temple-theft-accused/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.