Court rejects plea by accused seeking dismissal of offence
PTI
Lucknow/New Delhi
The trial under the serious criminal conspiracy charge will commence against them after having been dropped by the trial court in 2001. The verdict was upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2010.
The Supreme Court had ordered restoration of the conspiracy charge against them on April 19.
The charges were framed against Advani (89), Joshi (83), Bharti (58), BJP MP Vinay Katiyar (62), VHP’s Vishnu Hari Dalmiya (89) and one-time Hindutva firebrand Sadhvi Rithambara (53) -- all of whom appeared before the court.
All six were granted bail by CBI special judge S K Yadav on a personal bond of ` 50,000 each after rejecting the CBI’s opposition to their bail plea. The court will resume hearing on Wednesday.
The accused, who spent nearly three hours in the court, had sought discharge for the offence of criminal conspiracy, which the judge rejected.
The charge of conspiracy is in addition to the existing charges against them for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion for which they are already facing trial.
The apex court had while restoring the charge of criminal conspiracy, directed clubbing of two cases relating to the demolition. The court had also ordered that the trial be concluded in two years.
Besides the six, conspiracy charges were also framed against Ramvilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, Dharam Das and Satish Pradhan -- all of whom were allegedly present when the 16th-century structure in Ayodhya was pulled down on December 6, 1992.
Judge Yadav passed two orders -- one for grant of bail
IN THE DOCK
Special CBI court framed conspiracy charges against BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi, Union minister Uma Bharti, BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, VHP’s Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and one-time Hindutva firebrand Sadhvi Rithambara, in the Babri demolition case
All six granted bail on personal bond of ` 50,000 each
Conspiracy charges also framed against Ramvilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, Dharam Das and Satish Pradhan -- all of whom were allegedly present during the December 1992 demolition
