Court grants 39-hour custody of two Ram temple suspects

Two key suspects in an alleged embezzlement case involving donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya were taken into police custody on Saturday, July 18, 2026, for questioning. Ramashankar Yadav, known as Tinnu, and his nephew Manish Yadav were moved from the district jail to the Police Lines for a medical examination before the start of their custodial interrogation.

The transition follows a ruling by a special anti-corruption court on Friday, July 17, which granted investigators a 39-hour police remand for the two men. Authorities had initially sought a seven-day custody period. According to officials, investigators questioned the duo in jail on Thursday, July 16, before applying for the remand after obtaining fresh leads.

Tinnu Yadav is considered a principal accused in the case. Officials said he was regarded as a close associate of the former general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, and allegedly supervised the temple's donation boxes. His nephew, Manish Yadav, was reportedly involved in counting the offerings. During searches last month, police recovered 1 lakh rupees from Tinnu's residence and 2 lakh rupees from Manish's house.