Term of Liberhan Commission extended up to February 29, 2008

New Delhi, Dec 31 (UNI) The term of the Liberhan Commission, inquiring into the December 6 demolition of the Ram Janma Bhoomi-Babri Masjid structure at Ayodhya, has been further extended by two months, up to February 29 next year.

A Home Ministry release said the term of the one man commission, which was to end today, has been extended up to February 29, 2008.

Constituted on December 16, 1992 by the P V Narasimha Rao Government, the Commission, during its tenure, witnessed several extensions.

The terms of reference of the commission include inquiring into the sequence of events leading to the destruction of the Babri Masjid structure, the role played by the then UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and other concerned organisations in the demolition and deficiencies in security measures which might have contributed to the demolition.

Headed by Justice (retd) M S Liberhan, the Commission, in 14 years of its proceedings, recorded statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police officials. It finished its hearings in August last year after hearing its last witness Kalyan Singh -- who was the state's chief minister at the time of the demolition and was dismissed soon after.

During its hearings the commission recorded statements of Mr Kalyan Singh, the late Narasimha Rao, former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and his colleagues Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati as well as former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Top bureaucrats and police officials of Uttar Pradesh, the then district magistrate R.N. Srivastava and Senior Superintendent of Police D B Roy of Ayodhya also recorded their statements on the demolition.

UNI