Last accused appears before CBI court

LUCKNOW : Om Prakash Pandey, one of the 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, surrendered before the special CBI court (Ayodhya case) on Thursday.

Earlier declaring him a proclaimed offender, Surendra Kumar Yadav, judge, special CBI court (Ayodhya case), had twice issued non-bailable warrant against Pandey after he failed to appear before the court to record his statement in the ongoing Ayodhya case.

Even the CBI had failed to trace Pandey and had submitted its report to the court mentioning that Pandey was not traceable. The central agency had carried out raids at multiple locations in Azamgarh and Uttarakhand to trace Pandey but to no avail.

The remaining 31 accused, including senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti among others, have already appeared before the court to record their statements.

“Om Prakash Pandey appeared before the CBI court today (Thursday). He has recorded his statement. The court granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 50000,” said lawyer KK Mishra, who is representing Pandey in court.

Claiming that he was innocent, Pandey informed the court that he was performing special yajna for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya at an undisclosed location in Uttarakhand.

“It was on August 5 when I reached Ayodhya for ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Ram Mandir that I came to know that non-bailable warrants had been issued against me in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Then I contacted my lawyer and decided to appear before the court,” Pandey said.

After Pandey’s appearance, all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case have recorded their statements in the special CBI court.

Om Prakash Pandey appeared before the CBI court on Thursday. He has recorded his statement. The court granted him bail. KK MISHRA, L awyer