Babri Demolition Case All 32 Accused Acquitted
Almost three decades after the Babri Masjid was razed, a special court has acquitted 32 accused including BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.
Almost three decades back the Babri Masjid was razed. The background of the case is that in December 1992, hundreds of workers of the Vishva Hindu Parishad – VHP arrived in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh to raze down the mosque. They claimed that it was built on the ruins of a temple where Lord Rama was born. After the mosque was demolished, India witnessed widespread Hindu-Muslim riots in which hundreds of people died. After the demolition BJP party was accused of instigating religious tensions and its leaders made hate-filled comments. Two cases were filed. The trial for the conspiracy to demolish Babri Masjid happened in a Lucknow court, and the one involving instigation was being heard in Raebareli. In 2017, SC had combined both the cases. In April 2017, the Supreme Court had asked the special court in Lucknow to complete the trial within two years with daily hearings.
Many BJP Leaders were named as accused for the demolition. 49 people were booked, but 17 have passed away. However last year SC ended the conflict by allowing the construction of the Ram Temple. The proceedings in this sensitive matter lasted months. The accused were questioned for hours at stretch. In July, 92-year-old Lal Krishna Advani was asked over 100 questions, but he denied all the charges. Yesterday 30th September while announcing the verdict, Special Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav said there was not enough evidence to prove that the demolition was pre-planned. A special court has acquitted all the 32 accused including BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. The court also asserted that the authenticity of audio and video provided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) could not be ascertained. He said the accused were not guilty and cleared their names. The judge said anti-social elements brought down the mosque.
