LUCKNOW: With hectic preparations for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya already on, the special CBI Court has also started recording the statements of accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case from Thursday.
While eight accused including ex-BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti and Mahant Dharam Das were summoned to testify before the court, over 30 other accused, including BJP stalwarts like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, VHP’s Champat Rai and Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, will also be summoned soon in connection with the case.
The testimonies are being held under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). So far, the probe agency has recorded the statements of 294 witnesses on behalf of the prosecution. Post-Babri mosque demolition in 1992, criminal cases were registered against thousands of kar sewaks at the Ram Janambhoomi police station by the then SHO Priyamvada Nath Shukla and Police Post in-charge Ganga Prasad Tiwari for bringing the mosque down.