The Ayodhya mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992 by ‘kar sevaks’ who claimed that it was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.Babri Masjid Demolition Verdict Live Updates: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Wednesday will deliver its verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case, nearly three decades after the structure was razed down by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya town, sparking communal riots. The accused in the case include BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, former ministers Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, among others.
While the court has directed all the 32 accused to be present in the court, there was no clarity on Tuesday on how many will come. While Advani, Joshi, and co-accused Nritya Gopal Das are above 80 years of age and may cite health conditions, Bharti and another accused, Satish Pardhan, are in hospital.
Bharti is being treated for the coronavirus and Pradhan for a gangrene condition. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, who is among the accused, was discharged from hospital on Monday after undergoing treatment for Covid-19. The youngest accused, Pawan Kumar Pandey, is in his 50s, a lawyer said.
The charges of conspiracy are in addition to the existing charges against the accused of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, for which they are also facing trial. The accused are also facing charges of having made assertions “prejudicial to national integration and injuring or defiling a place of worship”. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against 49 people in the case, of whom 17 died during trial. The court recorded statements of 351 prosecution witnesses.
Kar sevaks at the site facing the Babri Masjid in July 1992. (Praveen Jain/Archives)
Kar Sevak,s protesting in Ayodhya. Express photo
BJP leaders Uma Bharti hugs Murli Manohar Joshi celebrating the demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya (Express Photo by Kedar Jain)
The accused in the case include BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, former ministers Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, among others. Of the 49 accused, 32 are alive today. While the court has directed all the 32 accused to be present in the court, there was no clarity on Tuesday on how many will come.
Nritya Gopal Das and another accused, VHP vice-president Champat Rai, are the head and chief secretary of the Shri Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust set up to build the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. They were present when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the temple, on August 5. The other accused include Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj, Faizabad MP Lallu Singh, Gonda MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Vinay Katiyar, and Sadhvi Ritambhara.
Accused Vinay Katiyar, Dharamdas, Vedanti, Lallu Singh, Champat Rai and Pawan Pandey have reached Lucknow, news agency PTI reported
"Before the CBI court’s verdict, are the 32 accused of the conspiracy of the demolition of Babri Masjid asking themselves if they are victors because the domes were pulverised, or is the “Muslim side” asking itself if a guilty verdict will be their victory? For answers, look back in awe at the great Hindu epic-savants who held that in life there are no victors and no survivors," writes Nalini Singh in this opinion piece
After the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, two separate cases were filed at Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Faizabad.
The first was filed at 5.15 pm by the then SHO, Priyamvada Nath Shukla, against unknown kar sevaks. This was under IPC sections 395 (dacoity), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 297 (trespassing on burial places, etc) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Police also invoked Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act.
The second FIR was filed 10 minutes later by sub-inspector Ganga Prasad Tiwari, in-charge of Ramjanmabhoomi police outpost, against eight persons including senior BJP leaders — L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ashok Singhal (now deceased), Giriraj Kishore (deceased), Vishnu Hari Dalmia (deceased), Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Ritambhara. This was under IPC sections 153-A, 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).
Between December 6 and 21, police registered 47 more FIRs, mostly relating to assault on and looting of media persons during the demolition.
Ahead of the verdict today, security has been heightened in Lucknow. The court has asked all 32 accused to be present in the court