Apex Court Asks Special Court to Deliver Verdict in Babri Mosque Case
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The
Supreme Court of India has on May 8, 2020 ordered the special court, conducting
criminal trial against BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma
Bharti in the Babri Masjid demolition case, to complete the proceedings and
deliver the judgment by August 31, 2020.
The top court also asked special judge SK
Yadav to make use of video conferencing facilities to ensure that recording of
evidence is complete and there is no inordinate delay in concluding the trial.
“We may indicate that video conferencing
facilities are available and should be used by Shri Yadav in order to complete
all evidence…We extend the period to complete evidence and deliver judgment
till August 31”, the bench headed by justice Rohinton Nariman said after the
special judge wrote to the court on May 6 stating that recording of evidence is
yet to be completed.
This would be the third time the court is
setting a deadline for completion of trial in the 28-year-old case.
The BJP leaders are on trial for the 1992
demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. They have been charged
for various offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that include promoting
enmity between religious groups (section 153A), making statements affecting
national integration (section 153B) or which are likely to cause public
mischief (section 505).
In April 2017, the top court had ordered
that additional charges of criminal conspiracy under section 120B of the IPC
should be framed against the accused BJP leaders.
BJP leader Kalyan Singh, who was the
chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Babri Masjid was demolished and who is
one of the accused in the case, was given immunity by the top court under
Article 361 of the Constitution since he was the Governor of Rajasthan. Article
361 affords protection to the President and Governor from criminal proceedings
when in office.
The apex court had also ordered the
special court to complete trial within two years.
However, the matter was taken up again by
the Supreme Court in July 2019 after the special judge sought additional time
to complete the trial and deliver his judgment. The apex court allowed the same
and extended the deadline by 9 more months.
