New Delhi: A special CBI court in Lucknow has said that it will deliver the judgement on the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case on September 30.
Accused BJP leaders including former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti have been asked to be present. They are among the 32 accused in the case.
Also read: Ayodhya’s Class of 1992: The Key Conspirators
The date for judgment was set on Wednesday by special CBI court judge Surendra Kumar Yadav, Hindustan Times has reported. The special CBI court has completed the recording of statements of the 32 accused under section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the case.
This August, the Supreme Court had extended the deadline for completion of the trials by a month and said that judgement should be delivered by September 30.
Also read: Ayodhya: Once There Was A Mosque
The top court, which had earlier fixed August 31 as the deadline for completion of proceedings including pronouncement of the verdict, took note of the report filed by the special judge Yadav in the high-profile case.
On May 8, the top court had extended by three months the time for completion of trial in the case and said that judgement should be delivered by August 31.
The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, by ‘kar sevaks’ who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site.
Last year, a five-judge Constitution bench of the top court had ruled that the 2.77-acre land claimed by both Hindus and Muslims would be handed over to a trust for the building of a temple.
Advani’s statement was taken mere days before the foundation stone was laid amidst much publicity for this temple, on August 5.