SC postpones hearing in Babri demolition case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court adjourned on Wednesday a CBI plea challenging a trial court’s decision to drop criminal conspiracy charges against several BJP and other Hindu right-wing leaders in the Babri mosque demolition case.

Justice P C Ghose said the matter would be heard on Thursday because justice R F Nariman, who was with him during the last hearing, was not part of the bench on Wednesday. He also declined to adjourn the hearing by four weeks as requested by BJP patriarch L K Advani’s counsel, senior advocate K K Venugopal. Advani was among the 13 leaders exonerated by the trial court.

“You want me to retire first,” the judge said in a lighter vein when Venugopal made the request. Justice Ghose is due to retire in May. On March 6, the bench had expressed anguish over the trial court dropping the conspiracy charges against the 13 leaders on technical grounds.