Lucknow: A special CBI court Monday set July 24 for recording the statement of former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case. The 92-year-old BJP leader’s statement under section 313 of CrPC will be recorded through video conferencing. In his order, Special Judge SK Yadav also fixed July 23 for recording the statement of BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi. This will also happen through video conferencing.
The court is recording the statements of the 32 accused under Section 313 of CrPC. This has been done to enable them to plead their innocence, if they so want.
The court is conducting day-to-day hearings to complete the trial by August 31 as directed by the Supreme Court. It has also set July 22 for former Shiv Sena MP Satish Pradhan to depose before it through a video link.
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The court recorded Monday, the statement of accused Sudhir Kakkad who appeared in person. Earlier he had wanted to depose through a video link.
Like the other accused, Kakkad claimed that he was innocent. He said that he was falsely implicated by the then Congress-led central government for political reasons. The court will record Tuesday the statement of accused Ram Chandra Khatri.
BJP leader Uma Bharti had earlier this month appeared in person before the special court. She had also accused the then Congress-led central government of framing her due to political vendetta.
The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished December 6, 1992 by ‘kar sevaks’. They claimed that an ancient Ram temple had stood on the same site. Advani and Joshi were leading the Ram temple movement at that time.