Babri Masjid demolition case: All 32 acquitted by Special CBI Court

Today, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow has acquitted all the 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, citing lack of evidence. BJP leaders LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi welcomed the verdict.

The disputed structure of Babri Masjid was razed by a mob in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

The Special CBI Court said there was no conclusive proof against the accused. The court also observed that the 1992 demolition was spontaneous and not “pre-planned”. Twenty-six out of the 32 accused were present in the special court when the judgment was pronounced.

Special CBI Judge S K Yadav, in his 2000-page verdict, held that the demolition of the mosque was not premeditated and that there was no criminal conspiracy behind the demolition. The special court also held that the authenticity of the audio and video clips produced by the CBI is not proved and held that the tapes were tampered.

The Supreme Court had extended the timeline several times for the trial court to complete the trial with the last extension given on 19 August, 2020.

In July 2019, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice R F Nariman had directed the trial court to complete the recording of evidence within six months and deliver judgment within nine months The Court had also directed the UP Government to issue administrative orders to extend the tenure of the Special Judge CBI Court, Lucknow till the delivery of judgment.

In May 2020, a bench of Justices R F Nariman and Surya Kant had extended the deadline for the Special CBI Court, Lucknow to deliver its judgment in the case by August 31, 2020 after considering a request for extension made by the Special Judge.