The acquittal of all the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, including BJP veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, by a special court in Lucknow on Wednesday ran counter to the Supreme Court judgment holding the demolition illegal as well as the spirit of the Constitution, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.
Also read:Babri Masjid demolition case | Sangh, BJP hail verdict
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India called the judgment a travesty of justice.
The special court’s exoneration of the accused ran counter to the apex court’s November 9, 2019 judgment holding the demolition in 1992 to be an “egregious violation of the rule of law”, Mr. Surjewala stated.
“Entire country witnessed a deep-rooted political conspiracy by the BJP-RSS and its leaders to destroy the country’s communal amity and brotherhood for usurping power at any cost. The then-BJP government of Uttar Pradesh was a co-conspirator in the designed attack on India’s Constitutional ethos. So much so that the Supreme Court was misled by filing a wrong affidavit on oath. It is only after detailed examination of all these aspects, facts and evidence that Supreme Court held the demolition of the masjid to be ‘an egregious violation of the rule of law’,” he said.
Also read:Babri Masjid demolition case verdict | All 32 accused acquitted
'Centre, States must file an appeal'
He added: “Every Indian, who has innate faith in the Constitution as also in the spirit of communal amity and brotherhood, expects and urges the Central and State Governments to file an appeal against the decision of the Special Court founded in error and follow the letter of the law and the Constitution, without any partiality and pre-meditated prejudice.”
CPI (M) Polit Bureau said in a statement that it took 28 long years for this verdict but not justice to be delivered.
Also read:Babri Masjid demolition case: A timeline
‘CBI must appeal’
Citing the Supreme Court judgment, the statement said: “Now, the Lucknow court has found the main perpetrators of this crime not guilty. This verdict will blemish the image of India as a secular-democratic country governed by the Constitution. The CBI must immediately appeal against this judgment.”
General secretary of the CPI D. Raja said it was a travesty of justice, as it was a well-known fact that an intense campaign was carried out by RSS and BJP leaders for mobilising people against the Babri Masjid that finally led to its demolition.
Also read:Babri Masjid demolition | Key conclusions by Liberhan Commission
‘Anti-social elements’
Mr. Raja asked, “The ‘kar sevaks’ who took part in the demolition, we are given to understand, are anti-social elements. But who are they?”
CPI secretary and Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam said in a statement that the verdict was “disappointing” but “not unexpected”.
“The whitewashing of the plethora of crimes committed on December 6, 1992 has been the hallmark of this government and its coteries. It is ridiculous to believe that the events of that fateful day were spontaneous and the mobs were not spurred on by its leaders,” he said.
Published - September 30, 2020 05:19 pm IST
