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Babri Mosque demolition conspiracy hearing over

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/29/2020 12:38:35 PM

NEW DELHI, July 28: Hearing into the alleged criminal conspiracy behind the Babri Mosque demolition in Ayodhya in 1992 before a Lucknow special court concluded on Tuesday, with the recording of Shiv Sena's Satish Pradhan (79), former mayor of Thane and two term member of the Rajya Sabha from 1992 to 2004, as the 31st accused, leaving Special Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav enough time to pronounce the verdict by August 31, the deadline set by the Supreme Court while extending his tenure beyond the retirement.
Pradhan was also interrogated through video-conferencing alike BJP veterans Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi last week. The court gave two days to the lawyers of the accused till Thursday to submit their written arguments to let it have full one month to write the judgment.
Only one accused Om Prakash Pandey was recorded as absconding since the CBI, the prosecuting agency, said he has turned Sadhu and his whereabouts could not be ascertained.
The mosque built in the 16th century was demolished on December 6, 1992, by the saffron 'karsevaks' (volunteers) in the presence of Advani, former union minister and ex-Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti (61) among others while Dr Joshi denied his presence at the site on the day of demolition during his interrogation, asserting that evidence against him was fabricated because of the political malice of then Congress government at the Centre. Advani admitted his presence on the day of the demolition, but denied any hand in the so-called conspiracy, claiming that it was a spontaneous act of the people assembled in the holy town that day.
Former Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh (88), who was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister at the time of the demolition, deposed before the court on July 13, blaming the then Congress government of implicating him and asserting that he had made elaborate security to protect the mosque's structure and given orders from time to time to strenghten its security cover.