The Supreme Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea seeking revival of the criminal conspiracy charge against eight senior BJP and VHP leaders including LK Advani in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case on Wednesday.
The apex court said that the matter would be heard on a day-to-day basis in a Lucknow court and ordered joint trials restoring conspiracy charges against Advani and other leaders, according to Live Law.
#BabriMasjid ;SC ALLOWS CBI Appeal ; Orders joint trial, restores conspiracy charges against LK Advani and others
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) April 19, 2017
The trial has to be completed in two years, reported ANI news agency.
ANI reported that the SC also ordered that no adjournment would be given under normal circumstances. No judge hearing the case would be transferred
Babri Case: SC also ordered that no adjournment would be given under normal circumstances. No judge, hearing the case, would be transferred
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 19, 2017
Among the other high-profile accused is Union Minister Uma Bharti, while the court excluded Kalyan Singh from facing trial. Reports said that Kalyan Singh enjoys immunity as he is a Governor and will stand trial after his term ends.
A bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman had reserved the order on April 6 after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other petitioners had sought the restoration of conspiracy charge against the senior Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders.
The CBI had moved the top court against May 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict dropping conspiracy charge against the leaders.
Advani and Joshi, along with Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar (BJP), Sadhvi Rithambra, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, Ashok Singhal and Vishnu Hari Dalmia (VHP) were facing trial for making speeches from the dais at Ramkatha Kunj prior to the razing of the 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 by Hindu right-wing activists.
The spot was just 200 meters away from the disputed structure.
Kishore and Singhal have since passed away.
On April 6 before reserving the order, the top court bench had indicated that as far as conspiracy charge was concerned it may invoke extraordinary powers under the Constitution's Article 142 and transfer the ongoing trial from Rae Bareli to Lucknow so that eight leaders, including Advani and Joshi, could be tried for conspiracy along with 13 others.
Both Advani and Joshi had opposed top court taking recourse to Article 142 for transferring the trial to Lucknow and the revival of the conspiracy charge.