Babri Masjid Demolition: India's UP Court to Deliver Verdict Today

On Wednesday, almost three decades after the 16th century structure was demolished by a mob in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya city, sparking community unrest and riots, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow, India, will deliver its verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

CBI Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav is scheduled to begin reading out the verdict in a court room shortly around 10:30 am, where many of the top accused are unlikely to be present, reports Hindustan Times.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, some of the main defendants, including former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former Union Minister MM Joshi, former Union Minister Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, are likely to attend the proceedings via video conference.

In all, it is possible that 26 of the 32 accused would be present in court. Security has been tightened in the court premises in Lucknow prior to the verdict and no one is allowed inside the court room except the lawyers of the defence and CBI and the accused persons. Entry via only one gate is allowed and barricades have been installed on nearby roads to limit traffic.

Under several parts of the Indian Penal Code, all 32 accused are facing charges, including criminal conspiracy, rioting, spreading enmity between different communities and unlawful assembly.

Shiv Sena leader Satish Pradhan and Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Chairman of Trust Tirath Kshetra, are unlikely to be present in court. For Covid-19, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh have tested positive and are hospitalized.

Former Rajasthan governor and UP chief minister at the time of the incident, Kalyan Singh, said in a July 30 interview to HT that the demolition paved the way for a Ram temple.