Babri Masjid demolition case: Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti & 29 others acquitted

Sept. 30: Nearly 30 years after the Babri Masjid was razed by a mob in Uttar Pradesh, a Special CBI Court on Wednesday has acquitted the 32 accused in this connection. Special CBI judge Surendra Kumar Yadav observed that the demolition was not pre-planned and evidences are not strong. While 26 accused were inside the courtroom, 6 of them including LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, Nritya Gopal Das, Kalyan Singh and Satish Pradhan appeared through video conferencing.

The 32 accused face charges under several sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, rioting , promoting enmity between different groups and unlawful assembly. During the trial, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced 351 witnesses and 600 documents as evidence before the CBI court. The court had initially framed charges against 49 accused; 17 accused have died.

BJP leader Ram Madhav welcomesd the Babri Masjid demolition case verdict, saying victory has triumphed. He said that the acquittal in RJB conspiracy case was long overdue and asked everyone to welcome the judgement.