New Delhi, August 22: A fresh deadline was issued by the Supreme Court for the completion of proceedings and issuance of verdict in Babri Masjid demolition case. After the current deadline of pronouncing judgment by August 19 lapsed, the apex judicial body directed the trial court to declare its ruling by September 30.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court based in Lucknow is hearing the case. Among those accused include major political leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological affiliates. Babri Masjid: Mosque Land Handed Over to Sunni Waqf Board by Ayodhya DM Ahead of Ram Temple Bhoomi Pujan.

The proceedings in the demolition case was originally scheduled to be completed by April this year. The top court had granted an extension till August after the outbreak of coronavirus.

Proceedings were resumed virtually from June 4, with former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and ex-Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh appearing before the court through live streaming. Former Union Ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti are also listed among the accused.

Update by ANI

The Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque located in Ayodhya town of Uttar Pradesh, was razed by a frenzied mob of karsevaks on December 6, 1992. As per the allegations, the mob was instigated by the accused BJP veterans. The party has denied their role.

While the Babri Masjid demolition case is nearing completion, the decades-old title case dispute of the land in Ayodhya where the mosque stood was settled in November last year. The SC ruled in favour of the Hindu side by granting it possession of the land, whereas, the Muslim party was allocated a land of 5 acre to build a mosque in Ayodhya district.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2020 04:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).