The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the criminal proceedings in cases relating to the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in which the trial involving senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani and seven others VVIPs were segregated from others.
The apex court said it had in March 2007 decided the matter relating to the trial of cases, and it can no longer regulate the proceedings which are taking place in the Rae Bareli and Lucknow courts.
The SC stated that any petition or application relating to the cases can be filed in the Allahabad High Court which has the supervisory authority over the subordinate courts in Uttar Pradesh.
"We have disposed of all the petitions -- Special Leave Petition and Review Petition relating to the cases. You go to the High Court and take appropriate order," a bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal said.
The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Wajahat Ansari seeking a direction that the trial in the demolition case be proceeded on the basis of a consolidated chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 1993.
Ansari had sought that the trial of all accused including the eight VVIPS should be held at one place.
Senior advocate Ravi Shankar Prasad, appearing for the BJP leaders, said that the plea was not maintainable as in March 2007 it had dismissed the review petition.