LUCKNOW: The Special Court of CBI, hearing the trial of Ayodhya demolition here, would frame charges against 12 accused, including senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Dr MM Joshi, Vinay Katiyar and Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti today. All the BJP leaders have either arrived in the city or are on the way and they are expected to reach the court by 1130 hrs. Mr Advani has, along with Dr M M Joshi, have reached Lucknow, while Union Minister Bharati is also on her way to Lucknow. Rajya Sabha member Vinay Katiyar is already in the city.
Ms Bharati, while talking to mediapersons in New Delhi said, “Ye khula andolan tha, jaise emergency ke khilaf hua tha. Is andolan mein kya sazish thi, mujhe pata nahi abhi (This Ayodhya movement was an open agitation like Emergency and what is the conspiracy, I don’t know).”
UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath is expected to meeting Mr Advani and other senior leaders at the VVIP guest house, before appearing before the court.
The Special CBI Court hearing the Ayodhya demolition case had failed to frame charges against Mr Advani, Mr Joshi, Mr Katiyar, Ms Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara and VHP leader Vishnu Hari Dalmia on May 26, as they failed to appear before the Court. The Court had given these leaders a last chance directing them to appear in the Court today along with six other accused.
During the last hearing on May 26, the counsels of Advani and others had moved application of the six accused praying permission for their absence.
The CBI Special Court had fixed today as final date for personal appearance and framing of charge against 12 people — BJP leaders LK Advani, Dr MM Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Union Minister Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara and VHP leader Vishnu Hari Dalmia, Ram Vilas Vedanti, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Dharamdas, Champat Rai, Satish Pradhan and Baikunth Lal Sharma.
The Court in its order has said that as per the Supreme Court order, charges have to be framed against the accused within four weeks.
Special Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav had on May 26 sternly said that no exemption from appearance would be allowed after May 30. Even if the accused do not appear today in the court, then the judge could issue a non-bailable warrant for their appearance.
However, it would be just customary for the appearance of the leaders, as they are expected to get bail.
The Court will only add Section 120 (B) in the charge sheet of Advani, Joshi, Uma and two others, against whom trial was earlier underway in Rae Bareli.
In case of other six accused, the Court will frame charges under Sections 153, 153(A),295,295(A) and 505 of the IPC.
While the Special CBI Court had dropped conspiracy charged against the leaders in 2001, the Allahabad High Court had upheld the order in 2010. Now there are 28 accused in the Babri demolition cases.
The CBI, however, moved the Supreme Court which in its April 19, 2017 order, asked the CBI Court to add conspiracy charges against the accused in the trial.
After the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, two FIRs were lodged. While Crime No 197 dealt with actual “demolition of the mosque by the Kar Sevaks”, crime No 198 named Advani, Joshi and 13 others Sangh Parivar leaders for inciting the mob through their speeches.
The trial on the basis of the first FIR started at the special CBI Court in Lucknow, while the case against them began at a Special Court in Rae Bareli. Two of them — Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore — died during the trial.
On April 19, last, while ordering restoration of conspiracy charges against the accused, the Supreme Court had ordered that both the cases should be clubbed and a composite trial should be held at the Lucknow Court. It also asked the Court to start a day-to-day hearing and finish it within two years. (AGENCIES)
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