Babri Mosque Demolition Case in last leg, CBI told to file written reply

The trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case is set to enter its last stage after the CBI was asked to submit its written reply in the case by Friday.

A special CBI Court in Lucknow that completed the recording of statements of all the 32 accused in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case last month, including senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh & Uma Bharti, among others, has asked the premier investigation agency to file its reply by Aug 21.

On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation had to file its reply, but its lawyers sought 2 more days’ time.

“The court has ordered the CBI to file its written reply in the Babri Masjid demolition case by Friday (Aug 21). The central agency had to file its reply on Tuesday but could not do so,” said Advocate Manish Tripathi, who is representing BJP MP from Kaisrganj parliamentary seat in Bahraich district, Brij Bhushan Saran Singh. He is one of the 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

The trial in the Lucknow Court is going on in regard to the demolition of the disputed structure in 1992 in pursuance of the 2 FIRs lodged with the Ayodhya Police.

On July 19, 2019, the Apex Court had extended by 6 months the time frame for completing the criminal trial in Ayodhya case & also set a deadline of nine months for the final order. The deadline expired on April 19 this year & the special judge wrote to the apex court on May 6, seeking an extension.

On May 8, the Apex Court issued a new deadline of Aug 31 with instructions to deliver the judgment by then.

However, legal experts are of the opinion that the CBI Court will need further extension of about 2 months to deliver judgment in the case.

“Legal documents in the case run into several thousand pages. It is no easy job to document all proceedings in the case. I think the CBI court will need another extension to deliver its judgment,” said Advocate KK Mishra, who is representing senior BJP leader LK Advani & Murli Manohar Joshi, among others, in the CBI Court.

On April 19, 2017, the Top Court had ordered the special Judge to conduct a day-to-day trial, concluding it in 2 years.

Calling the demolition of the disputed structure a crime which shook the “secular fabric of the Constitution”, it allowed the CBI plea for restoration of criminal conspiracy charge against the VIP accused.

The Court had termed the Allahabad HC’s Feb 12, 2001, verdict dropping conspiracy charges against Advani & others as “erroneous”.

Before the 2017 verdict of the Supreme Court, there were 2 sets of cases relating to the demolition, going on in Lucknow & Rae Bareli.

The first case allegedly involving unnamed “kar sevaks” proceeded in a Lucknow court & the second set of cases relating to eight VIPs was being heard in a Rae Bareli court. In April 2017, the Apex Court transferred the Rae Bareli case to the Special CBI Court in Lucknow. 

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