All 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, including Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, have been acquitted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow on Wednesday.
They have been acquitted after almost 28 years after a mob razed the 16th century structure in Ayodhya and triggered some of the deadliest riots that left about 2,000 dead.
In the judgement pronounced today by CBI judge Surendra Kumar Yadav, the court said that the demolition was not pre-planned and the accused tried to stop “anti-social” elements who razed the mosque. He ordered the acquittal citing a lack of evidence and added the probe agency could not prove the authenticity of the audio and video evidence submitted.
Earlier today, 26 of the 32 accused had arrived at the court premises to hear the court’s verdict. While six others, including LK Advani, had taken part in it through video conferencing. There were 49 accused in the case out of which 17 have passed away. Hence, the court pronounced its judgement on the rest 32 accused, who had been asked to be physically present in the court.
Former Union minister Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, are among other accused acquitted in the case. They have tested positive for Covid-19 and are hospitalised and could not attend the proceedings. Sadhvi Rithambhara, Lallu Singh, Pawan Pandey, Vinay Katiyar, and Champat Rai were the accused present in the CBI court.
