SC could revive conspiracy charge against Advani, Uma in Babri case

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday hinted that it might revive the criminal conspiracy charges against 13 BJP and other Hindu right-wing leaders in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case that was dropped by the special trial court in Lucknow on technical grounds.

The indication came from a bench of justices PC Ghosh and RS Nariman hearing a petition by the CBI challenging the Allahabad high court’s decision to uphold the trial court discharge order favouring senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh. They also include several VHP leaders.

The Supreme Court’s observations came ahead of the last phase of assembly polls in the state. Singh, now the governor of Rajasthan, was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Mughal-era mosque was demolished at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 by kar sevaks of the VHP.

The Hindu right-wing says Lord Ram was born at the spot where the mosque stood.

The SC bench also suggested to the CBI to club two cases pending in Rae Bareli and Lucknow, and added that the matter will be heard in Lucknow, which was opposed by the advocates representing the leaders.

CBI counsel additional solicitor general Neeraj Kishan Kaul accepted the court’s view and said: “We are fine with the suggestion. That is the reason why we appealed against the HC order.”

Senior advocate KK Venugopal, counsel for the leaders, argued that the CBI appeal was belated, to which the bench said it would condone the inordinate delay and let the trial continue in Lucknow.