AIMPLB withdraws demand for special CBI court for Babri Masjid demolition case

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has withdrawn its demand that the Babri Masjid demolition case wherein Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi besides six others are accused, should be heard by a special CBI court in Lucknow.

The AIMPLB will not insist on its demand that the state government should issue notification for beginning the case in the special CBI court. Other accused in the case include Vinay Katiyar, Sadhavi Rithambara and Uma Bharati.


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A similar case wherein 49 people including Lal Krishna Advani are accused is already pending in a special CBI court in Rae Bareli. Witnesses of the case are being recorded in the court and only three witnesses have been recorded so far, though 15 years have passed since the case was registered. Judging from the pace at which the case has been moving, it cannot be guessed when the verdict shall be delivered.

When asked about the withdrawal, legal advisor of AIMPLB advocate Zafaryab Jilani said if AIMPLB keeps insisting and the government accedes to their demand, the case will be opened afresh and it is for this reason that the Board has dropped its demand.

Earlier, in 2002, Advani and others in his group had challenged an application filed in Allahabad High Court to the same effect, and the honourable judge dismissed it on the plea that the special court in Lucknow cannot hear this case on technical grounds, adding that the government can issue a fresh notification, if it wants that the case be heard in Lucknow and no time limit will be binding for this. But no notification has been issued till date and this only casts doubts over government’s intentions, though AIMPLB continued representing the case before the government.

After Mulayam Singh government, Mayawati came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. AIMPLB placed the same demand before her but even after seeing inaction by her, the Board decided to withdraw its demand.

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