Lal Krishna Advani, one of the main architects of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, got emotional as the special CBI court in Lucknow acquitted him and 31 others, including Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh and Sakshi Maharaj—all accused in the case involving the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
Granted exemption from personal appearance, Advani sat with family and close aides, waiting for the verdict on September 30. The case had meandered through delays and complicated legalese for 28 years. There were smiles and hugs as special CBI judge Surendra Kumar Yadav ruled that there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy in the demolition, that it was not pre-planned, but a spontaneous act by unlawful elements.
Soon after, congratulatory messages started pouring in. Among the first to call Advani was Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who thanked the nonagenarian for spearheading the Ram temple movement. It was Advani’s rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya in 1990 that changed the course of the BJP as it embraced an assertive Hindutva.
The September 30 verdict is a culmination of the cycle that began with the demolition of the three domes of the medieval mosque, paving the way for construction of a grand Ram temple—a promise in all BJP manifestos since then. The BJP believes that the shadow of the demolition that has followed the party will be dispelled, leading to the temple construction without negativity.
Its former ally Shiv Sena—believed to have played an important role in the Ram Mandir movement—also welcomed the decision. Congratulating those who were acquitted, its leader Sanjay Raut said, “If the Babri Masjid wasn’t demolished we wouldn’t have seen any bhoomi pujan for the Ram Mandir”. The bhoomi pujan was performed by PM Narendra Modi on August 5 along with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Yogi Adityanath. This was after the Supreme Court, on November 9, 2019, had awarded the Ramjanmabhoomi site to the Hindu claimants. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Champat Rai, chairman and general secretary respectively of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust that is overseeing construction of the temple, are among those acquitted.
The CBI court has acquitted the leaders of charges of unlawful assembly and making provocative speeches, stating the CBI could not produce negatives of photographs put on record and the videos they submitted were tampered with. In fact, the court said, it appears the accused tried to stop the unlawful mob from pulling down the domes.
Justice (retired) M.S. Liberhan, who headed a commission of inquiry into the demolition, terms the verdict as “an utter farce”. Speaking to Outlook, he says, “I need to read the verdict for details but the court’s conclusion that the demolition was not the result of a planned conspiracy is completely contrary to the findings of my commission”. However, the BJP is not letting any negative comment dampen its spirits. “It has been proven that the BJP did not indulge in any unlawful activity to get what rightfully belongs to all Hindus. We stand vindicated,” an exultant BJP leader tells Outlook.
Advani later stated that “along with millions of my countrymen, I now look forward to the completion of the beautiful Shri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya,” which he called his long-cherished dream. Joshi said it is a victory of truth after painstaking investigations by the CBI that recorded statements of hundreds of witnesses. “Jai jai Siya Ram. Sabko Sanmati de bhagwan,” he added.
Incidentally, the BJP top brass downplayed the verdict. There were no tweets from the PM, home minister Amit Shah or party president J.P. Nadda. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad went to meet Advani following the verdict, while Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar and Sushil Kumar Modi welcomed the Lucknow special court decision.
