The Supreme Court on Monday indicated that senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, among others may face trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
The apex court also said that it could order a joint trial of the two cases in the Babri demolition case currently underway – one in Lucknow and the other in Rae Bareli.
“We will not accept the discharge of Advani and others on technical grounds. We will allow you (CBI) to file a supplementary chargesheet against 13 persons by including the conspiracy charges. We will ask the trial court to conduct a joint trial,” the court told CBI, according to reports.
Earlier, a lower court in Rae Bareli had dropped the charges of criminal conspiracy against Advani and others leaders of the party.
The top court is expected to take a final decision on whether the charges against Advani and others will be revived on March 22, 2017.
The CBI had challenged the decision of Allahabad High Court to acquit Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
Babri Masjid, a 16th century Mosque in Ayodhya, was demolished by Karsevaks on December 6 1992. Advani and Joshi were present at the site when the mosque was demolished and they allegedly fueled up the crowd with hate speeches.
The riot followed by the demolition triggered communal riots across the country, leading to around 2,000 deaths.
