AMN
The Supreme Court today sought responses from senior BJP leader L K Advani and others on a plea against dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them in the Babri mosque demolition case. A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu issued notices to the BJP leader and the CBI on a separate plea filed by Haji Mahboob Ahmad, one of the petitioners in the Babri mosque case. Ahmad, in his plea, has alleged that CBI may dilute its stand in the wake of the change in the government at the Centre.
Earlier, the CBI had moved the apex court against Allahabad High Court’s verdict on dropping conspiracy charge against Advani and 19 others in Babri mosque demolition case. During the brief hearing, CBI today sought time for filing a fresh affidavit on delay in filing the appeal and on the merits of the case.
The court allowed the plea of the probe agency and granted four weeks time to file the response. The apex court had earlier pulled up CBI for the delay in filing an appeal against the Allahabad High Court verdict. CBI has challenged in the Supreme Court the May 21, 2010 order of the high court, which had upheld a special court’s decision to drop the charge against Mr. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and others. Bal Thackeray’s name was removed from the list of accused persons after his death.
Reacting to Supreme Court issuing notices to Mr Advani and others, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said communal terrorism and violence in the country increased after L K Advani’s ratha-yatra. Mr Singh said after Babri Masjid demolition, only BJP benefited from the communal violence and justice is still due.
The CPI(M) demanded that CBI pursue the appeal vigorously in the Supreme Court and not be influenced by the fact that top leaders of the ruling party are involved in the case.