Babri Masjid Demolition case: Sixth accused granted bail by CBI court

The special court is hearing the 1992 demolition cases, including the one against BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.

Lucknow, May 24: A special Central Bureau of Investigatio court on Wednesday granted bail to Satish Pradhan, the sixth accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Special CBI court judge S K Yadav granted bail to the former Shiv Sena MP on a surety of Rs 20,000 and a personal bond of the same amount.

The special CBI court that began day-to-day hearing in the politically sensitive case on May 20 has already granted bail to five Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders named as accused. Besides Ram Vilas Vedanti, those who appeared in the CBI court on Saturday were VHP leaders Champat Rai, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Dharmdas Maharaj.

The court on Tuesday put off the hearing as Pradhan did not appear before it. The special court is hearing the 1992 demolition cases, including the one against BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.

The Supreme Court had last month transferred its case from Rae Bareli to Lucknow where another case was on in the matter. The apex court had on April 19 directed the special court to start proceedings in the matter within a month and deliver its verdict within two years.

On May 20, the five of the six accused in Babri Masjid demolition case surrendered to CBI court in Lucknow and were subsequently released on bail on the same day.

Amid tight security in the ICMRT building in Indiranagar, where the court proceedings are taking place, former MP Ram Vilas Vedanti, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Champat Rai, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and Dharmdas Maharaj reached there to surrender.

The court had issued summons to them. Satish Pradhan of the Shiv Sena, however, did not appear and is likely to surrender next week. His counsel Manish Tripathi said he was not keeping well.

Tripathi also moved a bail application on which the court will take a call late in the evening. The Supreme Court had on April 19 directed the special CBI court in Lucknow to begin proceedings in the matter within a month and wrap up hearing within two years.

The apex court had also said that the trial judge will not be transferred during this period and the court will take forward criminal charges against the 13 accused which include veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Union Minister Uma Bharti.

Former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti had last month claimed that it he who ensured that the disputed structure was razed. Vedanti said Advani or the senior BJP leaders had nothing to do with the demolition as it was he along with late Ashok Singhal, then VHP chief, and Mahant Avaidyanath of Gorakhnath Temple exhorted activists to ensure that the structure was pulled down. Both Avaidyanath and Singhal are now dead.

OneIndia News