CBI court summons Shiv Sena MP

LUCKNOW : The CBI special court on Thursday summoned Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut to appear before it on June 23 in connection with the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.

CBI judge SK Yadav sent a notice to Raut directing him to appear before the court.

Raut was present in Ayodhya when the disputed structure was demolished on December 6, 1992.

The CBI special court (Ayodhya case) had on May 30 framed charges of criminal conspiracy against senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, union minister Uma Bharti and others in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case asking them to face trial. The court, however, granted them bail.

Three others – Sadhvi Ritambhara, Vinay Katiyar and Vishnu Hari Dalmiya – also appeared before the court in the case. The charges against the six leaders were framed under Section 120(b) of the IPC for criminal conspiracy. In 2001, the CBI court had removed conspiracy charges against Advani on technical grounds but the Supreme Court restored it in April this year. The SC observed that the demolition had shaken “the fabric of the Indian Constitution.”

After being delayed for many years, the CBI court’s directions have started the final leg of the trial. The apex court has ordered the lower court to conduct hearing on a daily basis and end the trials in two years.