Babri Masjid: SC May Revive Conspiracy Charges Against BJP Leaders

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it might revive conspiracy charges against 13 BJP leaders in connection with the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

Challenging an Allahabad High Court judgement, a bench of SC judges comprising Justice PC Ghosh and RS Nariman, indicated that they would revive the charges against BJP's top leaders LK Advani, Uma Bharti, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and a few VHP leaders, Hindustan Times reported.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, and VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore, were also among the accused, and have since passed away.

In its order on 20 May 2010, the Allahabad High Court had dropped Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of



the IPC against the accused while upholding a special court's decision.

The others against whom the charge was dropped included Vinay Katiyar and Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Satish Pradhan, CR Bansal, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore (now deceased), Sadhvi Ritambhara, VH Dalmia, Mahant Avaidhynath, RV Vedanti, Paramhans Ram Chandra Das, Jagdish Muni Maharaj, BL Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save.

The Allahabad High Court, while upholding the dropping of criminal conspiracy charge, however, had at that time, allowed the CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and others in a Raebareil court, under whose jurisdiction the case falls.