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Babri Masjid demolition case verdict: Shiv Sena welcomes acquittal
The special CBI court said that the Babri Masjid demolition was not pre-planned and acquitted all the accused.
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Shiv Sena has welcomed the acquittal of 32 accused associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday that both the party as well as Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray have welcomed the verdict.
Earlier today, a special CBI court in Lucknow ruled that there was no conclusive evidence to prove that the demolition of the Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992 was pre-planned, ruling out a criminal conspiracy to bring down the mosque.
Former deputy Prime Minister LK Advani along with other BJP stalwarts Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti, were among the accused in the case.
“We should not forget the incident as grand Ram Mandir is now being built. If the Babri structure had not come down, we would not have seen the construction of the Ram temple,” Raut said, reacting to the verdict.
Former Shiv Sena leader Satish Pradhan, who was then a close aide of Sena founder Bal Thackeray, was also acquitted in the case. Expressing his happiness over the verdict, he said, he was not even present at the spot.
“I had no connection with the demolition as I was not even present at the spot. My stance has been vindicated and I finally got justice,” said Pradhan.
The court in Lucknow said there was no conclusive proof against the accused that also included Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara.
Also Read: Babri Masjid demolition verdict: All 32 accused acquitted
Earlier, LK Advani, too, welcomed the court verdict and said it came in the footsteps of another order which paved the way for his “dream” of seeing a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
“It is a very important decision and a matter of happiness for us. When we heard the news of the court’s order, we welcomed it by chanting Jai Shri Ram,” Advani said in a video message.
After the court verdict, the 92-year-old BJP leader had greeted the media, gathered outside his house, by chanting the slogan of “Jai Shri Ram”.
He was seen watching the news in his residence while sitting with his family members and his daughter Pratibha Advani, who was holding his hands, reported PTI.
