Updated: September 30, 2020 7:31:39 am
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against 49 people in the case, of whom 17 died during the trial.
Almost 28 years after the demolition of Babri Masjid, a Special Court of the IWC will pronounce its ruling in the conspiracy case on Wednesday. While the court ordered all 32 defendants, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi, to be present in court, it was unclear on Tuesday how many will attend.
Although Advani, Joshi and co-defendant Nritya Gopal Das are in their 80s and can cite health problems, Bharti and another defendant, Satish Pardhan, are at the hospital. Bharti is being treated for the coronavirus and Pradhan for a gangrene disease. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who is among those charged, was released from the hospital on Monday after receiving treatment for Covid-19. The youngest defendant, Pawan Kumar Pandey, is 50 years old, a lawyer said.
“We have no idea who will not attend court proceedings tomorrow. No defense attorney has filed exemption requests for a client, ”said defense attorney KK Mishra.
Police have been put on alert to avoid any public order problems after the verdict.
Explained | Ayodhya conspiracy: awaiting verdict
Nritya Gopal Das and another defendant, VHP Vice President Champat Rai, are the head and chief secretary of the Shri Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust established to build the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. They were present when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the temple on August 5.
The other defendants include Unnao Sakshi Maharaj MP, Faizabad MP Lallu Singh, Gonda Brij MP Bhushan Sharan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Ritambhara.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against 49 people in the case, of whom 17 died during the trial. The court recorded statements from 351 prosecution witnesses.
Read | Babri Masjid Demolition Verdict: Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti Key Defendants; All you need to know
In 2001, a trial court dropped the proceedings against 21 of the accused. The verdict was confirmed by the Superior Court. However, on April 19, 2017, the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of the conspiracy charges and ordered a daily hearing in the case, concluding the trial in two years.
The conspiracy charges are in addition to the existing charges against those accused of promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, for which they also face trial. The defendants also face charges of having made claims “detrimental to national integration and of wounding or desecrating a place of worship.”
The CBI argued that the defendants had conspired and instigated kar sevaks to demolish the mosque. The defendants have pleaded not guilty, saying they were implicated by the then congressional government in the Center as a political vendetta.
Opinion | One day before the verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case, a message from the epics
Last year, the Supreme Court assigned the disputed site in Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple, calling the demolition of the mosque a violation of the law. An alternate five-acre site was marked in the city to build a mosque.
Last month, the IWC Special Court had recorded statements from Pradhan, Advani and Joshi under Section 313 of the CrPC via videoconference. According to the section, a judge questions the defendant based on the evidence and gives him an opportunity to explain the allegations.
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