Babri Masjid demolition case: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani deposes before CBI court via video link

Lucknow: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani on Friday recorded his statement before a special CBI court in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The statement of the 92-year-old former deputy prime minster was recorded through video conferencing in the court of special Judge SK Yadav in the presence of his counsel Vimal Kumar Srivastava, KK Mishra and Abhishek Ranjan, who were present in the court. CBI lawyers Lalit Singh, P Chakravarti and RK Yadav were also present. On Thursday, the court recorded the statement of BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi in the case. Dubbing prosecution witnesses in the Babri mosque demolition case as liars , Joshi had asserted that he was innocent and implicated in the case by the then Congress government at the Centre. The 86-year-old leader had pleaded innocence while making his statement under Section 313 of the CrPC. The Babri mosque demolition trial is presently at the stage of recording of statements of 32 accused in the case under Section 313 of CrPC during which they get an opportunity to refute the prosecution evidence against them. The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on 6 December, 1992, by ‘kar sevaks’ who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site. Advani and Joshi were among those leading the Ram temple movement at that time. The court is conducting day-to-day hearing in the case to complete its trial by August 31 as directed by the Supreme Court.