A day before the verdict, BJP leader Uma Bharti said in a letter to party chairman JP Nadda that she would rather be “hanged” rather than seek bail. A report in The Print said that Bharti wrote the letter to Nadda on September 26, the day she was removed from the party’s list of national officials in a dramatic reorganization. Expressing pride in her participation in the “Ayodhya movement,” Bharti said seeking bail would “tarnish the dignity” of her role. “I don’t know what Ayodhya’s trial will be on September 30, but I will not seek bail… I am proud of my participation in the Ayodhya movement. I have always said that even if I have to be hanged for being part of the Ayodhya movement, that is acceptable to me … Taking the bail will tarnish the dignity of my participation in the movement. “Bharti is currently admitted to the Institute of Medical Sciences of India (AIIMS) in Rishikesh after testing positive for Covid-19. His status is said to be stable. While Bharti will not be present in court for the hearing, it is not yet clear whether he will appear via video conference.
The trial on the serious criminal conspiracy charges began against them after it was dropped by the trial court in 2001. The verdict was upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2010, but the high court ordered the restoration of the conspiracy charge. against them on April 19, 2017. The high court ordered a daily hearing in the high-profile case and ordered the special judge to wrap it up in two years.
The conspiracy charge is in addition to the charges against him for promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion for which they are already facing trial. The other charges against him include engaging in “willful and malicious” acts intended to outrage religious sentiments, making statements that lead to public harm, riots and illegal gatherings.
The IWC argued that the defendants conspired and instigated ‘kar sevaks’ to demolish the 16th century mosque. But the defendants have pleaded not guilty and maintained that there is no evidence to prove their guilt and claimed that they were implicated by the then congressional government in the Center as a political revenge.
Unlike the title dispute case in the matter that saw the final judgment rendered by the Supreme Court in November 2019, the demolition case may still have a long way to go. After nearly three decades, it is the first court in our legal system that is ready to render the verdict. Delving into the ruling, the interested parties will clearly have the right to challenge the verdict in the superior courts of our country.
Despite the delay, it has been a grueling trial in which more than 350 witnesses recorded their statements and CBI filled out a consolidated charge sheet in 49 related cases. The case that initially had 49 defendants, now only has 32 of them alive.
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