Babri Masjid dispute: SC verdict on Advani, Joshi adjourned till Thursday

The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed the hearing in the Babri Masjid demolition case for Thursday in which senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti are accused.

A bench headed by Justice P C Ghose said the appropriate bench comprising him and Justice R F Nariman will be hearing the matter on Thursday. Justice Nariman was not present in the court on Wednesday.

The bench, also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta, said that Justice Nariman will be back on Thursday and it will take up the matter.

At the outset, counsel for Haji Mahboob Ahmad (since deceased) moved an application seeking a week’s time to file a report with regard to the status of the case in trial court.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the BJP leaders, said the matter should be listed after four weeks to enable them to file some documents.

On March 6, the apex court had decided to examine the appeal against dropping of conspiracy charge against the accused including Advani, Joshi and Bharti in the case related to demolition of Babri Masjid in the disputed Ram janmabhoomi in Ayodhya in 1992.

The top court had also came up with an option of ordering a joint trial of cases arising out of the two FIRs lodged in the wake of the demolition of the disputed structure.

However, the clubbing of two FIRs was opposed by the counsel for the accused on the ground that there were different sets of persons named as accused in the two cases,
the trial of which were at an advanced stage at two different places.

They were of the view that joint trial would lead to the beginning of proceedings de novo (afresh).

Altogether, 13 persons including Advani, Joshi and Bharti were discharged of conspiracy charge in the case, the trial of which is being held at a special court in Raebareli.

The second set of case was against unknown ‘karsevaks’ who were in and around the disputed structure and the trial was being held at a court in Lucknow.

The appeals were filed by Ahmad and the Central Bureau of Investigation against dropping of conspiracy charges against Advani, Joshi and 19 others for demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992.