Babri Masjid verdict highlights: Police personnel deployed in parts of Mumbai

Several Congress leaders expressed outrage over the verdict of a special CBI court that acquitted all 32 accused, including BJP veteran L K Advani, in the Babri mosque case. On the other hand, BJP, VHP leaders hailed the judgment and called it 'victory of truth'. The case relates to the razing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, which triggered riots for several months leaving nearly 2,000 people dead across the country. The structure was demolished by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.

Thank you for following Deccan Herald's live updates on Babri Masjid demolition case.

Non-Congress opposition, Muslim leaders demand CBI appeal against Babri Masjid demoliton verdict

Non-Congress opposition parties and Muslim leaders on Wednesday described the verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case as a "travesty of justice" that "blemishes" the image of India as a secular country and demanded that the CBI immediately appeal against it.

Read More

Babri case lost its relevance after 2019 Supreme Court verdict: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said the Babri masjid demolition case lost its relevance after the Supreme court settled the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit in 2019 even as he welcomed the special court's verdict acquitting all the 32 accused in the case.

Read More

CBI in the dock over 'inadmissible evidence' in Babri Masjid demolition case

A close scrutiny of the Babri demolition verdict reveals that CBI, which was the prosecuting agency in the case, did not follow some simple rules while introducing evidence against the accused persons in support of its contention that they had hatched a conspiracy to bring down the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Read More

Security beefed up in Mumbai in the wake of Babri Masjid case verdict

Security stepped up in Mumbai in the wake of Babri Masjid demolition case verdict, police personnel have been deployed at sensitive locations to prevent any untoward incident: Official

Controversy must come to an end with this verdict: Murli Manohar Joshi

The verdict has proven that our programmes weren't part of any conspiracy. I feel this controversy should come to end with the verdict: Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on his acquittal in Babri Masjid demolition case

This judgment satisfies collective consciousness of Hindutva and its followers and ideology: Owaisi

Was it some sort of magic that on December 6 the mosque was demolished? This judgment satisfies the collective consciousness of Hindutva and its followers and ideology: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Babri Masjiddemolition case verdict

Babri judgment victory of truth, says VHP president

It's the victory of truth. Court took nearly 28 years to give its judgment, but it was clear from the day one that the demolition was not pre-planned… was a sudden incident: VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje on Babri Masjid demolition case verdict

After a copy of today's verdict is received, it would be sent to the CBI headquarters where it would be studied by the legal department and a decision on filing an appeal would be taken as per its suggestion: CBI counsel Lalit Singh on Babri Masjid demolition case

Every Indian, who has innate faith in Constitution, expects the Centre, state govt to appeal against special court decision in the Babri case: Cong

Muslim leaders to challenge the Babri demolition verdict

Muslim leaders, who were associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid Title suits, on Wednesday said that they would challenge the special CBI court's verdict acquitting all the 32 accused persons in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) convener Zafaryab Jilani said that he was not 'satisfied' with the verdict and that it would be challenged in the high court.

Today’s judgment in the criminal case relating to disputed structure in Ayodhya is a vindication of truth and justice: VHP

Sadly, it has taken 28 years for the Courts to deliver justice. This judgment, now hopefully draws the final curtains on an issue that had been agitating the Hindu psyche for some 472 years.

The Ram Bhakts have suffered their implication in false cases and the trial that stretched for 28 long years. The case was based on 49 FIRs, 351 witnesses produced by the Prosecution and some 600 documents. The tenure of the Presiding Judge had to be extended several times, beyond his retirement.

- VHP Statement

CPI(M) terms verdict on Babri Masjid demolition case a travesty of justice.

The verdict will will blemish the image of India as a secular-democratic country governed by the Constitution. The CBI must immediately appeal against this judgment, it said.

Special CBI court verdict acquitting 32 persons runs counter to the Supreme Court judgement on Ram Janmabhoomi title suit: Congress

Supreme Court, in its November 9 judgement, had held that demolition of Babri mosque was an "egregious violation of the rule of law." Every citizen expects the state and central governments to file an appeal against the special CBI court verdict.

Babri Masjid case verdict: After 28 years, all 32 accused acquitted; demolition in Ayodhya not pre-planned

Special judge (CBI) S K Yadav, in his verdict, which ran into 2,300 pages, said that the demolition of the disputed structure was not ‘pre-planned’ and that it was the handiwork of some 'anti-social elements,' who were among thousands of ‘karsevaks’. 'There is not enough evidence to show that the demolition was pre-planned,' he remarked.

Read more

Timeline of Babri Masjid demolition case

The verdict by a special court in the Babri Masjid demolition case comes 28 years after 'kar sevaks' razed the 16th-century mosque and almost a year after the Supreme Court settled the land case in favour of a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site.

Read more

Babri Masjid case judgement vindicates my belief, says L K Advani

Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on Wednesday welcomed the judgement by the Special Court in Babri Masjid demolition case to acquit all the 32 accused persons.

"The judgement vindicates my personal and BJP's belief and commitment toward the Ram Janmabhoomi movement," Advani said.

Read more

Shiv Sena welcomes the verdict: Sanjay Raut

Special Court verdict is very important and a matter of joy for all of us: L K Advani on Babri Masjid verdict

Even though delayed, Lucknow court delivered justice: Rajnath Singh

Examining the Babri Masjid verdict: Court said that structure was demolished by anti-social elements, who were among the karsevaks

The judge said that the CBI failed to prove that any of the accused was directly or indirectly involved in the demolition.

Court says a local intelligence report had cautioned in advance that unexpected sequence of events can take place on December 6 but the report was left unattended.

Court said the cassettes submitted by the CBI were tampered with and were not sealed

BJP Leader Sushil Kumar Modi celebrates CBI verdict

The judge said in the verdict that there is not enough evidence to support the charge that there was a conspiracy to demolish the mosque

No clear evidence to establish criminal conspiracy, says Judge SK Yadav

All 32 acquitted, demolition not a criminal conspiracy

LK Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharti appear via Video Conferencing

Judge SK Yadav begins to dictate the 2,000-page order in Babri Masjid demolition case

Ram Vilash Vedanti, one of the accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, arrives to appear in a special CBI court during pronouncement of its judgement in the case, in Lucknow.

Credit: PTI

Security stepped up in vicinity of Lucknow court ahead of Babri case verdict

Ahead of the pronouncement of verdict in the Babri mosque demolition case by a special court here, a multi-layered security apparatus was put in place in the vicinity of the Old High Court building.

Wooden barricades were erected near most of the cross-sections in the vicinity of the court building, and movement of buses from the Kaisarbagh bus stand diverted.

Read more

Recap | SC's judgement in the Ayodhya verdict in favour of Ram Lalla

Noting that the dispute was over immovable property, the court said the title cannot be decided on the basis of faith or belief but on the basis of evidence. Passing the judgement in favour of the deity, the court concluded there was clear evidence to indicate that the worship by the Hindus in the outer courtyard continued unimpeded in spite of the setting up of a grill-brick wall in 1857.

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi pronounced the unanimous judgment by a five-judge bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer in the seven-decade-old dispute involving two prominent communities of the country. The court acknowledged huge ramifications of the matter, saying it was entrusted with “an adjudicatory task of unique dimension”.

Read more

This will be S K Yadav's last verdict before retirement

WATCH | Special CBI Court to shortly pronounce judgement

Recap | Ayodhya verdict: SC rules in favour of Hindus

The Supreme Court in November 2019 ruled in favour of Hindus who sought to build a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Ram, saying the Muslims had offered no evidence to indicate that they hadexclusive possession overthe inner structure prior to 1857 since the date of itsconstruction in the 16th century.

The top court, however, directed that the Muslim side,represented by Sunni Central Waqf Board, be given analternate land of five acres in Ayodhya itself as their rightto worship at the mosque was violated.

Read more

Recap: What is the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute?

Ayodhya, located on the banks of the river Sarayu in Uttar Pradesh, is regarded as the birth place of Lord Rama, according to Ramayana. Hindus believe that an ancient temple stood at the birthplace to mark the spot but in 1528 it was demolished by Mughal emperor Babur. The emperor then built a mosque - Babri Masjid - at the same spot, which was subsequently demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.

Read more

LK Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharati may be join ruling announcement through videoconferencing

Court will decide on 2 FIRs today – 197/1992 & 198/1992

FIR 197 was against unnamed Karsevaks for the demolition of the structure

FIR 198 was against eight BJP leaders for instigating the demolition of the structure.

Security tighetened around Special CBI court.

LK Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Nritya Gopal Das not present.

Advani, Joshi are not present due to age and covid restrictions. Uma Bharti has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in AIIMS Rishikesh.

Security beefed up outside Lucknow court

Accused Sadhvi Rithambhara, Vinay Katiyar, Champat Rai and Pawan Pandey arrive in court

CBI Judge S K Yadav arrives in court

Verdict expected at 11 AM.

Of the others accused, Vinay Katiyar, Dharamdas, Vedanti, Lallu Singh, Champat Rai and Pawan Pandey have reached Lucknow ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar, Sakshi Maharaj, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Rithambara are also accused in the case

Special Judge, Surendra Kumar Yadav, shall pronounce the judgment in the case of 32 accused persons, including prominent BJP leaders LK Advani, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharati, Murli Manohar Joshi and others

LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh unlikely to be present in court at time of delivery of verdict in Babri case: advocate

Ahead of Babri Masjid demolition case verdict, Centre asks states to be alert

A day before the verdict in Babri Masjid demolition case by a special court in Lucknow, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states to be extra vigilant to ensure that no untoward incident takes place and maintain law and order.

The MHA has asked the states to keep an extra vigil in communally-sensitive areas and districts as it fears that the fringe elements may use the verdict to fuel tension.

Read more

Babri Verdict and Bihar Polls

Today's verdict will also have political significance in view of the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar. It was in Bihar where the then chief minister of the state Lalu Prasad Yadav had stopped Advani's 'Rathyatra' for the Ram Temple and ordered his arrest.

Read more

Recap: How many accused

There were in all 49 accused persons in this case to start with, but 17 of them have died since then.

The case, which pertained to the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 by thousands of 'kar sevaks', were heard on a daily basis by special CBI judge.

Soon after the demolition of the disputed structure, two FIRs were registered at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya against unidentified 'kar sevaks', Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and BJP leaders.

Forty seven other FIRs were also registered later.

The CBI, which was handed over the investigation of the cases, had filed a single charge sheet in all the cases. The Allahabad High Court, upon being approached by the BJP leaders, ordered to drop proceedings against them as the state government had not issued fresh notification transferring the trial of FIR no 198 in which their names had found mention to the special CBI court.

Another reason behind the delay was that the cases were being heard separately at Rae Bareli and Lucknow. The Supreme Court later clubbed all the cases and ordered that they would be heard at Lucknow. It also set aside the HC order for dropping of charges against some BJP leaders.

Read more

Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri dispute 'most fiercely-contested case in India's history': Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi

The Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute at Ayodhya was the "most fiercely-contested cases in India's legal history" in which every point was "hotly" debated and "passionately" argued by the lawyers, former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who headed the bench that delivered the historic verdict, has said.

In the unanimous verdict, the five-judge bench on November 9 last year cleared the way for the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

Read more

LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti to appear in person when called in Babri demolition trial: Court

A special court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case on Monday put BJP veterans L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti on notice to appear in person when asked to record their statements.

Special judge Surendra Kumar Yadav said while granting this exemption it was clarified that they would have to appear in person "as and when their presence was required".

He said the three accused “are directed that they will ensure their presence in the court on the date to be fixed by the court”. No date was immediately fixed.

Read more