The Babri verdict comes nearly 28 years after the structure was razed by a mob in Uttar Pradesh, leading to communal riots. Of the 49 accused, 32 are alive todayBabri Masjid Demolition Verdict Live Updates: Nearly thirty years after the Babri Masjid was razed by a mob in Uttar Pradesh, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, citing lack of evidence. BJP leaders LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi welcomed the verdict.
The court said there was no conclusive proof against the accused. “They have been acquitted for lack of evidence,” defence lawyer KK Mishra said. Twenty-six out of the 32 accused were present in the special court when the judgment was pronounced.
While BJP veterans skipped the proceedings, Vinay Katiyar, Dharamdas, Vedanti, Lallu Singh, Champat Rai, and Pawan Pandey were among the accused present in the court today. While Advani, Joshi, and co-accused Nritya Gopal Das are above 80 years of age Bharti and another accused, Satish Pardhan, are in hospital.
All 26 accused appeared before the court around 10.30 am. Outside the court, there was heavy police deployment and barricading. Media persons were not allowed to enter the court premises in the Qaiserbagh area of Lucknow.
The case relates to the razing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Kar sevaks at the site facing the Babri Masjid in July 1992. (Praveen Jain/Archives)
Kar Sevak,s protesting in Ayodhya. Express photo
BJP leaders Uma Bharti hugs Murli Manohar Joshi celebrating the demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya (Express Photo by Kedar Jain)
DMK president M K Stalin on Wednesday alleged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has failed to act fairly in the Babri mosque demolition case and that it has become a "caged parrot" of the BJP-led Centre.Despite the Supreme Court's judgment that "the entire structure of the mosque was brought down in a calculated act of destroying a place of public worship," the CBI failed to prove the conspiracy in the case and it was a blow to the rule of law, he said.Destroying any place of worship was injustice and a gross illegal act, Stalin said in a statement reacting to the acquittal of all the 32 accused in the case by a CBI Special Court in Lucknow.
The CBI, which should have acted in an impartial and fair manner with a sense of caution, 'failed' to do so and "has become a caged parrot of the BJP-led Centre today, which is shameful," the DMK chief alleged.
The NCP on Wednesday said it was not surprised over the special court's verdict acquitting all accused in the Babri masjid demolition case.
"The court has given verdict in the case today. It was expected, and hence, we are not surprised," Maharashtra minister and NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said in a video message. The minister said though the accused were acquitted for want of evidence, probe agencies had filed the case based on evidences only. "Rath Yatra was taken out before December 6 (1992). The media of the country was present at the (mosque) site and documented the events. There were photos taken and videos captured. There are contents available on YouTube. But the court has given its verdict and we respect it," Malik said.
Expressing outrage over the verdict of a special CBI court that acquitted all 32 accused, including BJP veteran L K Advani, in the Babri mosque case, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday called it "obnoxious" and said the central agency should appeal against it. Speaking to reporters, Owaisi in his reaction to the judgement said, "This judgement satisfies the collective consciousness of hindutva and its followers and ideology" He wondered how the court could state that there was no conspiracy in the matter. "Was it a some sort of magic that on December 6 the masjid was demolished? Who called for the assembling of the people over there? Who made sure that they entered over there?" he asked. Owaisi said the CBI should appeal against the judgement "to protect its independence." Terming the CBI court's ruling as "obnoxious," he said he would urge the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to appeal against it.
AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani said that the judgment pronounced by the special CBI court in the Babri Demolition case was wrong. “We will appeal against the judgment in the High Court,” said the lawyer who was also part of the Babri Action Committee.
Prominent Sunni cleric and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said everyone knows how the “Babri masjid was demolished in full public view” and the “law of the land was shredded to pieces”.
“The Muslims if this country have always respected court decisions. In the final judgment of the Babri masjid case, the court had clearly said Muslims had been wrongly deprived of a mosque that had been constructed well over 450 years ago. Then the Supreme Court also said that it was an unlawful destruction. However, if there was a criminal conspiracy, it had to be decided by the court. Now, Muslim organisations will sit together and decide whether it (today’s judgment) has to be appealed or not,” he said.
Lallu Singh, BJP MP from Faizabad, within which Ayodhya falls, and one of the accused, said that the judgment proved that the authorities then had “framed” the BJP leaders in the case. “We were framed by the then authorities, that too three-four days after the incident. The court has said that it was not pre-planned. There were hundreds of volunteers who were angry and raged in Ayodhya that day. They had so much fire in them that they went ahead and pulled down the domes,” Singh told The Indian Express over telephone after the judgment came out.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, said that the verdict proved that justice prevailed however late it may be. “I welcome the Babri Masjid demolition case verdict by a special court in Lucknow, which has acquitted LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti Kalyan Singh and 32 others. This has proved that justice has prevailed however late it maybe,” Singh tweeted.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath: “The judgment has made it clear that then Congress Government had wrongly framed and defamed respected saints, BJP leaders, and office bearers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad out of its politically prejudice and over its politics of vote bank. The public of this country would not leave those responsible for this controversy,” he said.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut: “I and my party Shiv Sena, welcome the judgment and congratulate Advani ji, Murli Manohar ji, Uma Bharti ji and the people who have been acquitted in the case. Verdict saying demolition wasn’t a conspiracy and a result of circumstances, was the expected judgment. We must forget that episode. If the Babri Masjid wasn’t demolished we wouldn’t have seen any Bhoomi Pujan for Ram Mandir.”
Reacting to the acquittal of senior BJP leaders by a special CBI court in the Babri Masjid demolition case, the Congress Wednesday said the verdict runs counter to the 2019 Supreme Court judgment as also the “Constitutional spirit”. The party asked the central and Uttar Pradesh governments to file an appeal against the decision of the special court.
Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said the “entire country (had) witnessed a deep-rooted political conspiracy by BJP-RSS and its leaders” to destroy the country’s “communal amity and brotherhood for usurping power at any cost”.
“The then BJP Government of Uttar Pradesh was a co-conspirator in the designed attack on India’s Constitutional ethos. So much so that the Supreme Court was misled by filing a wrong Affidavit on oath. It is only after detailed examination of all these aspects, facts and evidence that the Supreme Court held the demolition of Masjid to be “an egregious violation of the rule of law”,” he said. Read more
A timeline:
1528: Babri Masjid built by Mir Baqi, commander of Mughal emperor Babur.
1885: Mahant Raghubir Das files plea in Faizabad district court seeking permission to build a canopy outside the disputed structure. Court rejects the plea.
1949: Idols of Ram Lalla placed under central dome outside the disputed structure.
1950: Gopal Simla Visharad files suit in Faizabad district court for right to worship the idols of Ram Lalla. Paramahansa Ramachandra Das files suit for continuation of worship and keeping the idols.
1959: Nirmohi Akhara files suit seeking possession of the site.
1961: UP Sunni Central Waqf Board files suit for possession of the site.
Feb 1986: Local court orders the government to open the site to Hindu worshippers.
Aug 1989: Allahabad HC orders status quo in respect of the disputed structure.
Dec 6, 1992: Babri Masjid demolished.
Dec 1992: Two FIRs filed in the case. One against unknown kar sevaks for demolition of the mosque. The other names BJP leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi and others for allegedly giving communal speeches before the demolition. Read more
Lallu Singh, BJP MP from Faizabad within which Ayodhya falls, and one of the accused, said that the judgment proved that the authorities then had “framed” the BJP leaders in the case. “There were hundreds of volunteers who were angry and raged in Ayodhya that day. They had so much fire in them that they went ahead and pulled down the domes,” Singh told The Indian Express over the telephone after the judgment came out.
“The leaders including Ashok Singhalj were trying to stop them. But they had fire inside them. The leaders had no role in it. But the authorities for their political purpose framed charges. The court has given the right verdict which has re-confirmed the faith and honor people of India have in judiciary,” Singh said.
Asked about the Liberhan Commission report that held several BJP leaders responsible for the demolition of the 16th-century mosque, Singh said: “That report had malafide intentions. It was influenced by the then political leadership.”
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Reacting to the Babri verdict, the Congress today said the verdict runs counter to the 2019 Supreme Court Judgement as also the Constitutional spirit. The party asked the Central and Uttar Pradesh Governments to file an appeal, against the decision of the Special Court. The Congress said the “entire country (had) witnessed a deep-rooted political conspiracy by BJP-RSS and its leaders to destroy the country’s communal amity and brotherhood for usurping power at any cost.”
“The then BJP Government of Uttar Pradesh was a co-conspirator in the designed attack on India’s Constitutional ethos. So much so that the Supreme Court was misled by filing a wrong Affidavit on oath. It is only after detailed examination of all these aspects, facts and evidence that the Supreme Court held the demolition of Masjid to be “an egregious violation of the rule of law”,” Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said.
“Every Indian, who has innate faith in the Constitution as also in the spirit of Communal amity and brotherhood, expects and urges the Central and State Governments to file an Appeal, against the decision of the Special Court founded in error and follow the letter of the law and the Constitution, without any partiality and pre-meditated prejudice. This is the true calling of rule of law and our Constitution,” he added.
Prominent Sunni cleric and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said everyone knows how the “Babri masjid was demolished in full public view” and the “law of the land was shredded to pieces”.
“The Muslims if this country have always respected court decisions. In the final judgment of the Babri masjid case, the court had clearly said Muslims had been wrongly deprived of a mosque that had been constructed well over 450 years ago. Then the Supreme Court also said that it was an unlawful destruction. However, if there was a criminal conspiracy, it had to be decided by the court. Now, Muslim organisations will sit together and decide whether it (today’s judgment) has to be appealed or not,” he said.
Veteran BJP leader LK Advani, who was acquitted by a special CBI court on Wednesday in the Babri mosque demolition case, welcomed the court verdict by chanting 'Jai Shri Ram', and said it came in "footsteps of another order which paved the way for my dream of seeing a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya". It is a very important decision and a matter of happiness for us. When we heard the news of the court's order, we welcomed it by chanting Jai Shri Ram," Advani said in a video message. Later in a statement, he said the "judgment came in footsteps of another verdict which paved way for my dream of seeing a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya".
LK Advani greeting media outside his house
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also spoke Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi over the phone and congratulated them for the verdict. He welcomed the judgment and said that the victory has been of truth. He further said that the judgment has made it clear that then Congress Government had wrongly framed and defamed respected saints, BJP leaders, and office bearers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad out of its politically prejudice and over its politics of vote bank. “Public of this country would not leave those responsible for this controversy,” said Adtiyanath.
LK Advani, who was acquitted by the court today, welcomed the verdict. "The judgment vindicates my personal and BJP's belief and commitment toward the Ram Janmabhoomi movement," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI
AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani said that the judgment pronounced by the special CBI court in the Babri Demolition case is wrong. "We will appeal against the judgment in the High Court," said the lawyer who was also part of the Babri Action Committee.
"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," BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said after the verdict, news agency ANI reported. Joshi, along with LK Advani and Uma Bharti, are among the 32 who were acquitted today by the court. Joshi (86) was not present in the court today.
Welcoming the Babri verdict, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh tweeted, "It has been proven that justice triumphed however late it may be."
Minutes after the Babri verdict was pronounced, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad arrived at the residence of BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani. Advani was among the 32 who were acquitted by the court today. Advani (92) was not present in the court today.