Babri Masjid demolition case HIGHLIGHTS
A special court in Lucknow is set to deliver the much-awaited judgment on Wednesday in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case in which BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are among the accused. Here are the LIVE updates.
A special court in Lucknow is set to deliver the much-awaited judgment on Wednesday in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case in which BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are among the accused. CBI judge SK Yadav had on September 16 directed all the 32 surviving accused to remain present in the court on the day of the judgment. The accused include former deputy prime minister Advani, former Union ministers Joshi and Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, besides Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara.
With the Supreme Court setting August 31 as the deadline and later extending it by a month for the CBI court to give its verdict, the trial court started day-to-day hearing to complete the task in time.
Babri Masjid demolition case LIVE Updates:
12:24 pm: The court acquits all accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, say sources
12:23 pm: Court observes that evidence against the accused are not strong enough
12:20 pm: Judge says the demolition of Babri Masjid was not pre-planned
12:11 pm: LK Advani and MM Joshi, accused in the Babri Mosque demolition case, join the court hearing through video-conferencing
11:50 am: Judge SK Yadav begins to dictate the 2,000-page order in Babri Masjid demolition case
11:29 am: Wooden barricades have been erected near most of the cross-sections in the vicinity of the court building and movement of buses from the Kaisarbagh bus stand diverted. Vehicular movement on the roads adjoining to the court building has also been minimized
11:25 am: Court will decide on 2 FIRs – 197/1992 & 198/1992. FIR 197 was against unnamed Karsevaks for the demolition of the structure. FIR 198 was against eight BJP leaders for instigating the demolition of the structure
11:11 am: Total six accused including Advani, Joshi and Uma Bharti may appear through video-conferencing though to hear the verdict
11:00 am: Advani, Joshi not present due to age and COVID restrictions. Uma Bharati has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in AIIMS Rishikesh
10:58 am: CBI Judge SK Yadav arrives in court
10:56 am: Heavy security deployed outside Court. Police checking cars and not allowing people not related to the Babri verdict to enter
10:50 am: Vinay Katiyar and Ram Vilas Vedanti, accused in Babri Masjid demolition case, arrive at the Special CBI court in Lucknow
10:39 am: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says, waiting for the court's verdict on the Babri demolition case. There is no importance of the case once the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan was done in August
10:24 am: Some of the accused Vinay Katiyar, Dharamdas, Vedanti, Lallu Singh, Champat Rai and Pawan Pandey have reached Lucknow ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict
09:59 am: Sadhvi Ritambra, Sakshi Maharaj and Champat Rai, accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case reach Special CBI court in Lucknow ahead of the verdict
09:36 am: Lucknow: Security tightened around Special CBI court
09:21 am: BJP veterans LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, all accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, are unlikely to be present in the trial court on Wednesday at the time of delivery of the verdict in the matter
The Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992 by "kar sevaks" who claimed that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.
In a significant judgment last year, the Supreme Court allotted the disputed site in Ayodhya for construction of a Ram temple, while calling the demolition of the mosque a violation of the rule of law.
An alternative five-acre site was marked in the city for building a mosque.
Before the 2017 verdict of the apex court, two sets of cases were being heard in Lucknow and Raebareli.
The trial of the first case involving unnamed 'kar sevaks' was going on in a Lucknow court, while the second set of cases relating to the eight VVIPs, including Advani, Joshi, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Ashok Singhal, Katiyar, Uma Bharti, Giriraj Kishore and Sadhvi Ritambhara, were going on in a Raebareli court.
The apex court, had while restoring the charge of criminal conspiracy, directed clubbing of two cases relating to the demolition and had also ordered that the trial be concluded in two years.