Nearly three decades after the 16th century structure was razed by a mob in the Uttar Pradesh city of Ayodhya, sparking communal tensions and unrest, a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will render its verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case on Wednesday.
Key defendants in the landmark case include former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former Union Minister MM Joshi, former Union Minister Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh. These leaders are likely to attend the proceedings via video conference due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Also read: Babri demolition case verdict today, D-day for Advani and 31 others
Here are the live updates:
– Babri Masjid demolition verdict: On high alert, UP police said to avoid gatherings
UP police issued a statewide high alert in light of the verdict, in the Babri mosque demolition case, to be handed over by the CBI special court (Ayodhya case) in Lucknow on Wednesday, senior officials said. police.
– CBI judge Surendra Kumar Yadav arrives at CBI court.
The court will deliver a verdict in the Babri Mosque demolition case, nearly 3 decades after the 16th century structure was demolished in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
– While the main defendants including LK Advani, MM Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti are unlikely to attend, as Kalyan and Uma Bharti are recovering from Covid-19, several other defendants are expected to be present.
Also Read: Babri Masjid Demolition Verdict: On High Alert UP Police Said To Avoid Gatherings
– Shiv Sena’s leader admits his role in the demolition of Babri Masjid
Defendant Jai Bhagwan Goyal, 62, who was Shiv Sena’s head of North India at the time of the demolition, arrives. On the issue of demolition, Goyal, while speaking to HT, said that the CBI court had ordered them to bring in the guarantor and said he will not comply with the order. “Yes, I admit my role in the demolition,” he said.
– BJP leader denies his role
BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, who is among those charged in the demolition case, denies his involvement in the criminal conspiracy. Katiyar and other leaders were on stage far from the site where the mosque was demolished.
– ‘Ready to face Lord Ram’s gallows’, says former BJP MP
Former BJP MP and defendant in the Ram Vilas Vedanti case has said he is “ready to face anything, including hanging, for Lord Ram.”
Ram Vilas Vedanti arrives at a special CBI court regarding the demolition case of the Babri Mosque in Lucknow, India on Wednesday. (Photo HT)
– CBI judge SK Yadav arrives at CBI court
The defendants Ritambhara, Champat Rai, Vinay Katiyar, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other defendants have come to the CBI special court for a hearing.
The judge has also arrived. Court to pronounce the verdict in the case shortly.
.
