Advani, Uma charged with conspiracy in Babri case
BJP leaders granted bail, Yogi to pray at makeshift Ayodhya Ram temple today
LUCKNOW: Criminal conspiracy charges were framed on Tuesday against BJP stalwarts LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, water minister Uma Bharti and nine more leaders in connection with the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid.
They appeared in a special CBI court in Lucknow, pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath met the three accused outside the court in a sign of support. He will visit Ayodhya and pray at the disputed site on Wednesday.
Kalyan Singh, the BJP chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the mosque was razed, was not arraigned because of the immunity given to governors from legal proceedings. He is now the governor of Rajasthan.
“I don’t consider myself a criminal. It was not a conspiracy,” said Bharti, the 58-year-old water resources minister in the Narendra Modi government.
Fellow accused Vinay Katiyar, a former BJP parliamentarian, said: “The demolition was spontaneous and there was never any conspiracy.” The opposition Congress demanded Bharti’s removal from the ministry after the court order. “She must step down. We hope the Prime Minister will ask her to step down,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
But the BJP, which is committed to the construction of a temple in Ayodhya, defended the accused. “They are innocent,” Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.
Thousands of “kar sevaks” or supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) razed the Mughal-era mosque in Ayodhya, which many Hindus believe was built on top of the birthplace of god Ram.
The destruction on December 6, 1992, unleashed some of the deadliest religious riots across the country since Independence, killing more than 3,000 people. The disputed site, comprising 2.7 acres, remains India’s most potent religious flashpoint.
Advani, a former home minister, said he tried to stop the clashes. A CBI court dropped charges of criminal conspiracy against Advani and long-time comrade Joshi, aged 83, on technical grounds 16 years ago.
The SC revived the case this April, saying the demolition shook “the fabric of the Constitution”. Tuesday’s order is viewed as a setback for Advani whose name is doing the rounds as a possible candidate for the presidential polls.