CBI court verdict in Babri mosque demolition case on September 30; L K Advani, Uma Bharti, others asked to be present

Prominent among the 32 accused are former deputy prime minister L K Advani and BJP leaders M M Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar

The much awaited judgement in the Babri Masjid demolition case, in which several senior BJP leaders including L.K.Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh are accused, would be pronounced by a special CBI court on September 30.

Special judge (CBI) S.K.Yadav has directed all the 32 accused persons to be present in the court on that day. There were total 49 accused persons in this case to start with but 17 of them have died since then.

The accused persons, who died during the pendency of the trial, include former VHP international president Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Mahant Avaidyanath and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's father Bala Saheb Thackeray.

According to the lawyers representing the CBI and the defendants, the special judge is currently busy writing the judgement.

The supreme court had directed the special CBI judge to deliver the verdict by September 30.

The cases, which pertained to the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, were heard on a daily basis by the 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 'karsevaks', Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and BJP leaders. 47 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 for 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 Raebareli 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.

The keenly awaited verdict assumes added significance as it will come close on the heels of the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

It would 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.