Babri demolition case: Murli Manohar Joshi deposes before court via video link

New Delhi, July 23: A special CBI court on Thursday recorded the statement of BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case.

The statement of the 86-year-old leader was recorded in the court of Special Judge S.K. Yadav through video conference.

Former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani (92) is likely to record his statement on Friday through video conference.

The Babri mosque demolition trial is presently at the stage of the recording of statements of 32 accused in the case under Section 313 of CrPC during which they also get an opportunity to refute the prosecution evidence against them.

The court is conducting a day-to-day hearing in the case to complete its trial by August 31 as directed by the Supreme Court.

BJP leader Uma Bharti had appeared in person earlier this month before the court to make her depositions in the case. In her testimony, she had accused the then Congress-led central government of implicating her in the case due to political vendetta.

The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992 by ''kar sevaks'' who claimed that an ancient Ram temple had stood on the same site.Advani and Joshi were leading the Ram temple movement at that time.