Babri demolition case: Accused may seek exemption from appearance in court
Some of the 32 accused – including senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi -- may ask the court to allow them to appear via video conference, citing their advanced age and the coronavirus pandemic, their lawyer said.
Some senior political leaders, who are among the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, may seek exemption from personal appearance when a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court announces its verdict on Wednesday.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani is among the accused in the case (File Photo/PTI)
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The law says all accused persons have to be physically present in the court on the day of verdict.
But some of the 32 accused – including senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi -- may ask the court to allow them to appear via video conference, citing their advanced age and the coronavirus pandemic, their lawyer KK Mishra said.
“I will inform the court about the status of my clients on Wednesday. I have informed Advani, Joshi and my other clients about the judgment day. Whether they will appear before the court or not will be clear on that day itself,” said lawyer KK Mishra. Mishra is representing 25 of 32 accused in the case, including Advani, Joshi and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh.
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During the hearing of the case, the court had permitted Advani, Joshi and several others to record their statements through video conference.
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During the hearing of the case, the court had permitted Advani, Joshi and several others to record their statements through video conference.
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Two other accused -- Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Shiv Sena leader Satish Pradhan -- have also expressed their inability to appear before the court on Wednesday.
Former union minister Uma Bharti, another accused, announced on Monday that she was admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh after she tested positive for Covid-19. “If I get a positive nod from the AIIMS after tests, then I would like to appear in the CBI court of Lucknow the day after tomorrow,” she tweeted on Monday.
Former chief minister Singh is undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a private hospital in Ghaziabad.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
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