Babri Masjid Demolition Case: Special CBI court records statement of one accused

A special CBI court trying the 1992 Babri masjid demolition case on Friday recorded the statement of an accused, allowing him to explain away some evidence against him over his role in razing the disputed structure. The Special CBI Court (Ayodhya Prakaran) had earlier summoned five accused, including former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti, to record their statements under section 313 of the Cr PC, enabling them to explain away the prosecution evidence against them.

Special Judge S K Yadav, however, was able to record the statement of only one accused, Gandhi Yadav, due to the paucity of time. The judge accordingly asked the other four accused, summoned earlier, to appear before him again on Saturday for the recording of their statements. Besides Gandhi and Vedanti, the five accused, who appeared in the court on Friday in response to its summonses, were Vijay Bahadur Singh, Pawan Pandey, Santosh Dubey. 

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A total of 32 persons are facing trial in the 1992 demolition case. They include former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, besides veteran BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Rithambara and Sakshi Maharaj. Till further orders, Advani, Joshi and Uma Bharti have been exempted from the personal appearance during the trial.

What is the Babri Masjid Demolition case?

In May 2017, the special CBI court charged BJP leaders L.K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Union Minister Uma Bharti and others with criminal conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case, as per reports. The delay in the examination of the eye-witnesses had reportedly been due to delay in framing charges against senior BJP leader Kalyan Singh - who enjoyed immunity as the Governor of Rajasthan. Singh had been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, when a mob demolished the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Court battle on demolition case

On April 19, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered the special judge to conduct a day-to-day trial and conclude it within two years. Calling the demolition of the disputed structure a crime which shook the "secular fabric of the Constitution", the apex court had allowed the CBI plea on restoration of the charge of criminal conspiracy against the VIP accused.

The apex court had termed the Allahabad High Court's February 12, 2001 verdict dropping the charge of conspiracy against Advani and others as "erroneous". On May 8 this year, the top court set a new deadline for the special judge, asking him to deliver the verdict by August 31. Before the 2017 verdict of the apex court, there were two sets of cases relating to the demolition, going on in Lucknow and Raebareli. The first case involving unnamed "karsevaks" proceeded in a Lucknow court while the second set of cases relating to eight VIPs was being heard in a Raebareli court. The cases were then clubbed.

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The charges against include - rioting, unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object, promoting enmity between different groups, assertions prejudicial to national-integration, statements conducing to public mischief apart from criminal conspiracy. The special court has also framed charges against former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti, Mahant Nrityagopal Das, Shiv Sena leader Satish Pradhan, VHP leader Champat Rai, Mahant Dharmdas and B.L. Sharma - charging them with criminal conspiracy and IPC sections for damaging or defiling place of worship, deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings.

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1992 Babri Masjid Demolition

On December 6, 1992 a rally had been allegedly organised in the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi area where the 16th century Babri Masjid stood - which attracted 1,50,000 kar sevaks. The rally - allegedly organised by the BJP & VHP - turned violent when kar sevaks attacked security personnel and demolished the mosque. The demolition caused communal riots which caused deaths of thousands.

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(with PTI inputs)