Ayodhya demolition case hearing on May 24

A special CBI court has fixed May 24 as the next date of hearing in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

The court postponed today's hearing as Satish Pradhan, one of the six accused, did not appear before it.

On May 20, the special CBI court began day-to-day hearing in the politically-sensitive case and granted bail to the five VHP leaders named as accused in it.

The Supreme Court had on April 19 directed the special court to start proceedings in the matter within a month and deliver its verdict within two years.

The CBI court had earlier issued summons to six accused persons, of whom five including Ram Vilas Vedanti (59) appeared in the court and sought bail.

Special CBI judge S K Yadav allowed their bail plea, asking each of them to furnish two sureties of Rs 20,000 each and a personal bond of the same amount.

Besides Vedanti, those who appeared in the CBI court on Saturday were VHP leaders Champat Rai (71), Baikunth Lal Sharma (88), Mahant Nritya Gopal Das (79) and Dharmdas Maharaj (68).
That day too, Pradhan, the sixth accused, did not appear.

However, the special CBI court will tomorrow hear another case referred by the SC from Rae Bareli court to Lucknow.

There are two cases – one is already going on in Lucknow and the other transferred by the Supreme Court from Rai Bareli to special CBI court Lucknow on April 19, 2017.

Since the exemption application came before the court from the accused persons in connection with the Lucknow case, the court postponed it for tomorrow (Tuesday).

The Supreme Court had last month directed that senior BJP leaders, including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, will face trial on conspiracy charges in the Ayodhya case.