[Babri Masjid verdict] No conclusive evidence to prove conspiracy, original copies of newspaper clippings not provided: Special CBI Court

Less than a year after the Supreme Court decreed the disputed site at Ayodhya in favour of the Hindus, a Special CBI Court in Lucknow today acquitted former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh, BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, and several others in the Babri Masjid demolition case..[BREAKING] Verdict in Babri Masjid Demolition case on September 30; Lucknow Court directs presence of all accused .The demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 dominated the political narrative for decades, and in the words of the Supreme Court, shook the the secular fabric of the Constitution of India.However, rather anticlimactically, the Special CBI Judge today held that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to produce any conclusive evidence to prove any connivance that led to the destruction of the mosque..The trial was conducted for the alleged commission of offences under Sections 147 (Rioting), 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 153-B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship) 295-A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), and 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) IPC read with Sections 149 (Unlawful assembly) and 120B (Criminal conspiracy) IPC..The Court held that there was nothing on record to establish the existence of a conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid. .In its judgment running into more than 2,000 pages and written in Hindi, the Court has observed that there was no documentary evidence to show that there was a conspiracy or provocation to bring down the disputed structure..With regard to the newspaper clippings related to the dismantling of the disputed structure presented by CBI, the Court opined that the same was not acceptable as evidence, as their original copies were not produced. .The CBI's reliance on photographs from the demolished site was also dismissed, as the negatives of the same were not submitted before the Court. .Apart from the news reports and photographs, the Court also considered the video tapes shown by the investigating agency. It, however, refused to rely on the same, on the grounds that the video cassettes were not in sealed envelopes and that the footage was not clear. .The CBI Court also held that no such act was done by the accused BJP leaders which hurt the spirit of another sect or affected the unity and integrity of the nation..While the state government had made all safety arrangements and efforts were made by the leaders, the structure at Babri Masjid was demolished by a mob. The Court opined that the accused persons had no knowledge or premonition that a mob of rowdy kar sevaks would demolish the structure. .Accordingly, all accused persons were acquitted by the CBI Court. .Calling the verdict historic, MM Joshi said that the judgment showed there was no conspiracy behind the December 6 incident. .Shortly after the verdict, Lal Krishna Advani also welcomed the decision. .Read the Judgment: