Lucknow: Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi asserted Thursday before a special CBI court holding the 1992 Babri mosque trial that he was innocent. Murali Manohar Joshi said he was implicated in the case by the then Congress government at the Centre.
The 86-year-old leader pleaded innocence while making his statement under section 313 of the CrPC through video conference. He was speaking to the court of Special Judge SK Yadav.
Former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, 92, too is slated to depose before the court through video conference Friday.
In his deposition to the court, Joshi blamed the then central government for ‘falsely’ implicating him due to ‘political vendetta’. He also refuted the prosecution evidence saying they were ‘false and inspired by political reasons’.
Also read: Babri mosque demolition case: LK Advani to depose July 24, Murli Manohar Joshi a day before
The court is presently at the stage of recording the evidence of various accused, totalling 32, in the Babri mosque demolition trial after examination of the prosecution witnesses. At this stage of the trial, an accused gets the opportunity to refute the prosecution evidence against him.
After Joshi completed his deposition to the court, Judge Yadav asked his office to send a copy of his statement to the CBI in New Delhi. The CBI will then get the Joshi’s statement signed by him in New Delhi and send it back to the court here.
The court recorded Joshi’s statement in the presence of his counsel Vimal Kumar Srivastava, KK Mishra and Abhishek Ranjan. The counsel for prosecution agency CBI, Lalit Singh, RK Yadav and P Chakravarti too were present in the court during its proceeding.
The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished December 6, 1992, by ‘kar sevaks’ who claimed that an ancient Ram temple existed at the same site. Advani and Joshi were among the BJP leaders, spearheading the Ram Janmabhoomi temple movement at that time.
