Babri Masjid demolition case: Special CBI court acquits all accused

Lucknow: The Special CBI court on Wednesday acquitted all the accused in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case. The court observed that 'Babri Masjid demolition was not pre-planned'. All accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, except Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Satish Pradhan and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, arrived at the Special CBI Court in Lucknow.  However, Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Satish Pradhan, and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das attended the proceedings via video conferencing, as the court announced verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The accused Ritambhara, Champat Rai, Vinay Katiyar, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh among the others were present at the Special CBI court for the hearing. https://youtu.be/CcbNP-s8uuI Also Read | Uttar Pradesh CM forms 3-member SIT in Hathras rape case BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said, "It's a historic decision by the court. This proves that no conspiracy was hatched for December 6 incident in Ayodhya. Our program and rallies were not part of any conspiracy. We are happy, everyone should now be excited about Ram Mandir's construction." Likewise, Lal Krishna Advani said, "I wholeheartedly welcome the judgment by the Special Court in Babri Masjid demolition case. The judgment vindicates my personal and BJP's belief and commitment toward the Ram Janmabhoomi movement."

Who are the accused?

FIR No. 197/92 blames the kar sevaks for allegedly demolishing the mosque. FIR No. 198/92 names:

• LK Advani,
• Professor Murli Manohar Joshi,
• Uma Bharti,
• BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar,
• Sakshi Maharaj
• Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Ashok Singhal,
• Giriraj Kishore,
• Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and
• Sadhvi Rithambara, and also
• Shiv Sena leader Balasaheb Thackeray whose name was removed after his demise.
• Former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, who is among 13 accused, is out on bail.
• 47 more cases were filed against these leaders but they were merged into one.

In 2017, the Lucknow court had ordered the framing of charges against BJP veterans Advani, Joshi, Bharti and nine others in the case. However, the charges against Kalyan Singh could not be restored in 2017 on the account of constitutional immunity as he was the then Governor of Rajasthan. -PTC News