Babri Masjid case: Special judge SK Yadav has been conducting daily hearings in the case since 2017.
New Delhi:
The verdict in the demolition case of 28-year-old Babri Masjid will be delivered today in Lucknow by Special Judge SK Yadav. The Lucknow District Court and District Judge has been conducting daily hearings in the case since 2017 following a Supreme Court ruling.
The 60-year-old judge was due to retire in 2019, but he obtained extensions from the high court to hear the high-profile case he has been dealing with since 2015.
The hearings – which involved the proof of 351 CBI witnesses and around 600 exhibits – ended on September 1, and the judge had started writing the judgment the next day to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court.
In April 2017, the higher court asked the special court to complete the trial within two years with daily hearings. He was later granted several extensions and when the judge asked for more time, the court extended the deadline until September 30.
The demolition of the 15th-century mosque was a watershed moment for the country, costing more than 3,000 lives in the riots that followed.
Mughal Emperor Babar is said to have ordered the construction of the mosque after demolishing a temple that marked Lord Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya.
On December 6, 1992, thousands of Kar Sevaks dismantled it following a long BJP campaign which was intensified by a series of rath yatras held by top BJP leader LK Advani.
Mr. Advani is an accused in the case, along with party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and senior leaders Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh.
Mr Yadav is expected to state whether they conspired to demolish the temple and incite the mob.
In July, during a four-and-a-half-hour hearing, the judge asked Mr. Advani 100 questions. The 92-year-old has denied all charges against him.
In November, the Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict, ordered the construction of a temple at the site. The inauguration ceremony took place earlier this year in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated.
