Allahabad High Court Decision On the Babri Masjid Demolition Case Purely Technical

Date: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

On the Babri Masjid Demolition Case

The decision of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court to set aside the framing of charges against L.K. Advani and seven others is purely on technical grounds. The same judgement has upheld the framing of charges against 40 others in the case concerning the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It is only the second notification concerning the eight accused which has been set aside on the procedural ground that prior approval of the High Court was not obtained.

The case involving the three Union ministers, who are amongst the 49 accused, concerns charges including criminal conspiracy for the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The chargesheet had been filed by the CBI after a thorough investigation.

It is totally wrong to portray the verdict as an exoneration of the eight accused in the case. It is incumbent upon the CBI to ensure that the case against the eight accused is pursued and brought to trial. The state government will have to remove the technical defect and get a fresh notification issued after going through the necessary formalities.

The Vajpayee government cannot evade its responsibility for ensuring that all those guilty in the Babri Masjid demolition case are brought to trial as per the law.