Babri Masjid demolition case verdict: Babri Masjid was demolished by ‘kar sevaks’ on claims that the Ayodhya mosque stood on an ancient Ram temple, nearly 28 years ago. A special court in Lucknow delivered its verdict in the case and acquitted everyone involved in the incident, including senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
351 witnesses and 600 documents were produced as evidence before the court in connection with the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Former Union minister Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, and right-wing leaders such as Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara, are also among the accused in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.
Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, which is in charge of constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya, is also among the accused.
Judge SK Yadav of the special Central Bureau of Investigation court had ordered all 32 surviving accused to be present in the court during the verdict.
Babri Masjid demolition case verdict – Updates
- Union Law & Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad met LK Advani at the latter’s residence after he was acquitted, along with 31 others, in the Babri Masjid demolition case by a special CBI court in Lucknow.
- The special CBI court observed that the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition was not pre-planned.
- According to the verdict, the judge stated that the charges under which they were accused could not be proved in the court of law.
- “Section 120B – could not be established since there was no evidence that the accused sat together to plan the demolition.
- Section 153 – inciting slogans and speeches could not be proven.
- Section 295 – no desecration of religious place since Muslims were not using the place to offer Namaz for years.
- Section 149 – no unlawful assembly established since Section 144 was not in place when ‘kar sevaks’ demolished the structure.
- Section 395 – dacoity could not be established since no one saw the accused run away with inscriptions and other allegedly stolen artifacts,” the court said in its verdict.
- All accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case have been acquitted by the special CBI court in Lucknow on Wednesday.
- Special CBI court Judge SK Yadav has started reading out the 2,000-page verdict in the case.
- Wooden barricades have been erected in the vicinity of the court building, and movement of buses from the Kaisarbagh bus stand in Lucknow has been diverted. Vehicular movement on roads adjoining the court building has also been minimized.
- The eight BJP leaders mentioned are LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar, Sakshi Maharaj, Lallu Singh and BB Sharan Singh.
- The court will decide on two FIRs – 197/1992 & 198/1992. The FIR 197 was against unnamed ‘kar sevaks’ for the demolition of the structure, and FIR 198 was against eight BJP leaders for instigating the demolition of the structure.
- The court has commenced its proceedings.
- Over 20 out of the 32 accused have reached the court for the hearing; a total of 26 people are expected to appear.
- LK Advani, MM Joshi, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das to attend the hearing via video conferencing.
- Judge SK Yadav has arrived at the special CBI court for the hearing in the case.
- Sadhvi Ritambhara, Champat Rai, Sakshi Maharaj, Om Prakash Pandey, Jai Bhagwan Goel, Acharya Dharmendra Dev, Ram Ji Gupta, Mahant Dharamdas, Vinay Katiyar, Vedanti and Lallu Singh have reportedly reached the court for the hearing.
- It is highly unlikely that many of the accused will be present in the court. While Advani, 92, and Joshi, 86, have been exempted from attending the proceedings on health grounds, Bharti and Singh too might not be physically present during the hearing as they are recovering from the Covid-19 infection in separate hospitals.
- Security has been tightened at the court premises ahead of the crucial hearing, with special forces accompanying the state police department to ensure law and order situation prevails.
- Kalyan Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the disputed structure was demolished. He was placed on trial in September 2019 after his tenure as the governor of Rajasthan ended.
- After the Supreme Court of India extended the deadline for the verdict a month from August 31, the trial court began day-to-day hearings to conclude the case in time.
- The central agency has produced 351 witnesses and 600 documents as evidence before the court. Charges were initially framed against 48 people, but of them 17 have died during the course of the trial.
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