NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court today sought the responses of veteran BJP leaders L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, union minister Uma Bharti and 16 others on a fresh plea against a 2010 order of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court dropping criminal conspiracy charge against them in the Babri mosque demolition case.
A bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra issued notices to BJP and other religious leaders on a fresh plea filed by Haji Mahboob Ahmad, one of the petitioners in the civil suit relating to the mosque case.
Besides BJP leaders Advani, Joshi and Bharti, the court also sought response from Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalyan Singh, among others.
Besides the 19 leaders, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore were also among the accused. Both have since died.
Meanwhile, the bench granted four weeks time to CBI, which had also moved the apex court against dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against the leaders, to file a fresh affidavit to explain the delay in filing the appeal before it.
The bench then said it would hear arguments on merits as well as on the delay aspect at the next hearing.
Ahmad, in his plea, has sought setting aside of the High Court’s order of May 20, 2010, dropping section 120B (criminal conspiracy) under the IPC. (AGENCIES)
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