Babri Demolition Case : Trial Judge Writes To SC For Police Protection; SC Seeks UP Govt Response

Special Judge of CBI Court Lucknow S K Yadav, who is holding the trial in Babri masjid demolition conspiracy case, has written to the Supreme Court seeking police protection.

Considering the request in Court on Friday, the bench of Justices R F Nariman and Surya Kant directed the Government of Uttar Pradesh to give their response in two weeks.

The bench observed that the the demand of the judge for protection is reasonable considering the enormity of the task being done by him.

The CBI judge has to pronounce the judgment by April 2020 as per a direction given by the Apex Court last July to the complete the proceedings within nine months.

The judge, who was otherwise set to retire on September 30, was ordered to be granted extension till the pronouncement of verdict.

BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi, Uma Bharati, Kalyan Singh etc, are facing conspiracy charges for causing the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

On April 19, 2017, the Supreme Court bench of Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman had restored the conspiracy charges against Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharati and 13 other BJP leaders by allowing an appeal filed by the CBI against the discharge given by the Allahabad High Court to the accused.

Invoking its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the bench also transferred the pending separate trial in a Rae Bareilly Magistrate court and clubbed it with criminal proceedings in the Lucknow CBI Court.

The top court further ordered day-to-day trial to be concluded in two years in the case.

The bench said one of the accused Kalyan Singh will obtain constitutional immunity being the Governor of Rajasthan but as soon as he relinquishes office, additional charges shall be filed against him. Singh will demit the office of Governor in September.