Babri Masjid Demolition case: Uma Bharti appears in special court trials

Lucknow: On Thursday, accused BJP leader Uma Bharti appeared in person before a special court trial in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

The Babri Masjid was demolished in December, 1992 by “kar sevaks” who asserted that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the spot of an ancient Ram temple.

The court is in the process of recording the statements of the 32 accused under section 313 of the CrPC (power to examine the accused), a phase in the trial where examination of prosecution witnesses is carried out.

The lawyers of the other accused BJP veterans L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalyan Singh informed the CBI court on Wednesday that they prefer to appear in trials through video conferencing.

Justice S K Yadav had given a choice to the accused who are yet to record their statements, asking them to provide their addresses so that arrangements can be made for video conferencing.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj appeared in the court, denying that he conspired in the demolition of the mosque.

“The accused who have not submitted their addresses and have also not appeared in court so far for recording their statement are directed to appear before it on June 18,” the judge said.

The court has been conducting regular proceedings in order to conclude the trial by August 31, as directed by the Supreme Court.