New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench comprising of Justices R F Nariman and Surya Kant sets deadline for the completion of the case involving the demolition of Babri Masjid. According to reports, the apex court directed the CBI court to pronounce the verdict by August 31.
The court in its earlier order dated 19th July, 2019 had directed that evidence from the parties should be completed within a period of 6 months and the judgement should be delivered in 9 months.
"Despite nine months having expired from the aforesaid date, we still find, on perusal of the letter dated 06th May, 2020 written by Shri Yadav, learned Special Judge that even the evidence is not yet compiled. We may indicate that video conferencing facilities are availble and should be used by Shri Yadav in order to complete all evidence as well as applications that may be filed in that behalf," read the court's order.
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After concluding its investigation, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against 49 accused, of whom 17 have died pending trial. The accused in the case include former deputy prime minister L K Advani and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders MM Joshi, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar.
Three other high-profile accused Giriraj Kishore, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal and Vishnu Hari Dalmia died during trial and the proceedings against them have been abated.
BJP leader Kalyan Singh is on trial by a special Judge CBI court of SK Yadav in the case relating to 1992 Babri Masjid demolition. He was summoned after his term as a governor of Rajsthan had expired and no more had a constitutional immunity from the trail.
On April 19, 2017, the top court had ordered day-to-day trial in the high profile case and directed the special judge to conclude it in two years' time.
While dubbing demolition of the disputed structure as a "crime" which shook the "secular fabric of the Constitution", it had allowed the CBI's plea on restoration of criminal conspiracy charge against the VVIP accused. The court had come down heavily on the CBI for the delay of over 25 years in the trial.
Issuing a slew of directions, it had said, "The proceedings (against Advani and others) in the court of the Special Judicial Magistrate at Raebareli will stand transferred to the Court of Additional Sessions Judge (Ayodhya Matters) at Lucknow."
"The court of sessions will frame additional charges under Section 120-B (conspiracy) and the other provisions of the penal code mentioned in the joint charge sheet filed by the CBI against Champat Rai Bansal, Satish Pradhan, Dharam Das, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahamadleshwar Jagdish Muni, Ram Bilas Vadanti, Vaikunth Lal Sharma and Satish Chandra Nagar," the apex court had said.
The court had termed the Allahabad High Court's February 12, 2001 verdict dropping conspiracy charge against Advani and others as "erroneous".
Before the 2017 verdict of the apex court, there were two sets of cases relating to the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992 going on at Lucknow and Raebareli.
The trial of first case involving unnamed 'Karsevaks' was going on in a Lucknow court, while the second set of cases relating to the eight VVIPs were going on in a Raebareli court.
