Lawyers disrupt Ayodhya hearing

The special court, hearing Ayodhya demolition cases against Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Union Minister M.M. Joshi and 11 others, today posted the matter for further hearing on August 19 after local lawyers disrupted proceedings in protest against alleged police atrocities on an advocate.

The proceedings came to a halt soon after defence counsel Mridul Rakesh began to advance arguments on charges framed against the accused. Protesting against the alleged police atrocity on a fellow advocate in Unchahar town in the district, local lawyers entered the courtroom of special judge V.K. Singh and began sloganeering, forcing the adjournment.

The judge then posted the matter for further hearing on August 19. Earlier, the defence counsel pleaded that the evidence beyond the documents submitted by the prosecution should also be considered for quashing the charges.

The court, on an application moved by the defence, exempted the accused persons from personal appearance for today. The court had, on July 30, screened four video and three audio tapes relating to incidents on December 6, 1992, the day Babri Masjid was demolished. Significantly, the CBI counsel had then admitted the tapes did not contain speeches of Advani, Joshi and other accused persons.