Ayodhya: Court defers order on BJP leaders

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Last updated on: September 12, 2003 12:48 IST

The special court in Rae Bareilly hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case against Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand and some other top Bharatiya Janata Party leader will pronounce its order on framing of charges against them on September 19.

Special Judge V K Singh announced this after the defence counsel Mridul Rakesh filed his objections to the Central Bureau of Investigation's written arguments.

Soon after the proceedings started, the judge pointed out to the defence counsel that he had not filed his objections so far and that he could do it only today.

After this, the counsel filed his objections saying the CBI's reliance on the Allahabad high court judgement, which had quashed proceedings against Advani and seven others on the ground that the notification constituting the special court to try them was illegal, was not correct.

Apart from Advani, the accused in the case are Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Ashok Singhal, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Giriraj Kishore and Sadhvi Rithambara.

Rakesh argued that the high court had said that the cognisance, committal and trial of the case arising out of crime No 198 of 1992 was illegal and, therefore, the CBI could not cite the judgment in its favour.

Maintaining that there was no case against his clients, the counsel accused the CBI of working under the influence of rival political parties. He termed the investigating agency as 'Clandestine Bureau of Investigation'.

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