Babri Masjid demolition case: LK Advani agrees to face conspiracy charges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Thursday, ordered the trial against Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi along with others in Babri Masjid demolition case.

The court said that the trial should happen in Lucknow and that there should be day-to-day hearing in the consolidated trial which should be wrapped up in two years.

“In the cases like this, we have to exercise our inherent power and do justice. It is a question of evasion of law against evasion of justice,” the apex court stated.

What LK Advani said:

• The senior BJP leader agreed to face conspiracy charges in the demolition case while the Supreme Court reserved its judgment.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had earlier in the day seek trial against the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani in Babri Masjid case and the pending cases of senior BJP leaders, including Advani and Uma Bharati were consolidated into one.

The CBI had submitted that conspiracy charges against the leaders needed to be restored.

The CBI pleaded before the Supreme Court that 14 persons, including the BJP senior leader and other leaders, acquitted of the charges under criminal conspiracy, should be tried in Lucknow Court.

The lawyer appearing for the investigative agency argued before the SC, seeking initiation of criminal conspiracy charges against certain BJP leaders including Advani.

The CBI also told the apex court that 195 witnesses had already been examined in Lucknow trial court and approximately 300 more to be examined.

The lawyer further said thatin Rai Bareilly Court, 57 witnesses had already been examined & 100 or more are likely to be examined and the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had upheld lower court order.

What else the CBI stated before the SC:

• There are two FIRs registered against all the accused in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.
• Criminal conspiracy charges were dropped against 21 accused, including several BJP leaders on technical grounds.