Babri verdict: Ex-law minister Veerappa Moily calls it 'travesty of justice'

Former law minister M Veerappa Moily on Thursday said acquittal of all the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case by a special CBI court was a "travesty of justice", and claimed that the verdict reflects "insensitiveness" on the part of the judiciary.

The senior Congress leader also said the judgment is not consistent with the observation made by the Supreme Court in 2019 that the demolition of the mosque was an "egregious violation of the rule of law".

All the 32 accused, including BJP veterans L K Advani and MM Joshi, in the Babri masjid demolition case were acquitted on Wednesday by the special CBI court in Lucknow which said there was no conclusive proof against them.

Another senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also criticized the verdict, saying "the trial court’s verdict defies logic and common sense, besides denying the conclusions of the Supreme Court!".

"‘No one killed Jessica’ was the anguished cry a few years ago. ‘No one demolished the mosque’ is the anguished cry today," Chidambaram tweeted.

In a statement, Moily said the verdict of the case reflects the "insensitiveness" on the part of the CBI and also the judiciary.

"Babri Masjid was demolished, the evidence of which is very clear as two years of Rath Yatra was conducted with volunteers carrying bricks and other materials for the construction of Ram Mandir in the place of Babri Masjid. To say that there is no evidence for demolition of Babri Masjid is a travesty of justice," Moily said.

"The Rath Yatra and the consequent demolition of Babri Masjid had been done amid the gaze of the entire nation and the entire world had witnessed the act. The judicial consciousness, and insensitivity of CBI failed to read the evidence written on the wall," said Moily, who was also the law minister from May 2009 to May 2011.

There was an "institutional conspiracy" to indulge in the act of sabotage, but the court could not pinpoint the conspirators, he claimed.

There is no doubt that the benefit of the doubt goes to the accused, but when the conspiracy is clear and a criminal act has been carried out, how could the CBI judge exonerate everyone, he asked.

"This demonstrates the fact that the judiciary has no eyes, ears or consciousness. The verdict has proved that truth and justice has no value in the country. The judgment is a bad reflection on the credibility of the judiciary," he alleged.

In a judgment that ran to 2,300 pages with enclosures, the special CBI court said there was no conclusive evidence against the 32 accused of being involved in any conspiracy to bring down the disputed structure in Ayodhya.