Kar Sevaks turn around

The five — Vinod Vatsa, Santosh, R C Khatri, Amar Nath Goyal and R N Das — made the allegation while speaking to reporters outside the special CBI court hearing the case here.

They alleged that the leaders managed to get their case separated by ‘‘exerting influence’’ and demanded that all accused be treated at par as far as the trial was concerned.

Denying the charge, Advani’s lawyer Satyapal Jain said in Chandigarh: ‘‘There is no evidence against Advani and the allegation seems to be tutored against him.’’

‘‘I think there seems to be some mischief somewhere. Otherwise there is no evidence. Credentials of these people who are now saying this are yet to be established,’’ PTI quoted him as saying.

‘‘If Advani or any other BJP leader had anything to do with the structure being pulled down, would the governments opposed to BJP, both at the state and Centre, have spared them? It’s on record that both Advani and Joshi appealed to the kar sevaks to come down from the structure and not vandalise it,’’ he said.

One of the accused, R N Das was the priest of the temple inside the then Babri Masjid where prayers continued for years following opening of the locks on court orders.

The CBI has already chargesheeted Advani in the case while a supplementary chargesheet was filed by the agency before the special court in Rae Bareli against Advani and seven other leading lights of the BJP and VHP.

Special judicial magistrate V K Singh, the presiding officer of the Rae Bareli court, has also asked the CBI to produce news clippings, videography and photographs collected by CID which was entrusted with the probe immediately after the demolition.