Lucknow, September 30:  The special CBI court announced its much awaited verdict in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case on Wednesday. All accused including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Satish Pradhan and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das have been acquitted by Special CBI Court in Lucknow. The Special CBI Court observed that the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition was not pre-planned. The Court added saying that there is no conclusive proof against accused. Of the 32 accused who faced trial, 26 were present in the court while L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharati, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das attending the hearing via video conferencing.

The verdict will be announced in Court room number 18, and it was decided that only five out of 32 accused will be inside the courtroom at any time. The rest will be seated outside in the lobby. Security was tightened around Special CBI court ahead of the verdict today. In the Babri Masjid demolition case, BJP veterans including former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, former union ministers, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, former MP Vinay Katiyar are among the accused.  Earlier in the day, accused Vinay Katiyar, Dharamdas, Vedanti, Lallu Singh, Champat Rai and Pawan Pandey reached Lucknow for the verdict. Here Are 10 Points to Know About Ayodhya Land Dispute.

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On September 16, CBI judge SK Yadav had directed all the 32 surviving accused to remain present in the court on the day of the judgment. The accused include former deputy prime minister Advani, former Union ministers Joshi and Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, besides Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara. Babri Masjid Demolition Case Verdict Today by Lucknow Special Court: Know What The Case is All About.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had set August 31 as the deadline to pronounce the verdict in the case but had and later extended it by a month, paving way for the CBI court to announce the verdict. The trial court started day-to-day hearing to complete the task in time. The CBI produced 351 witnesses and 600 documents as evidence before the court. Charges were framed against 48 people, but 17 have died during the course of trial.

The Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple. Last year,  the Supreme Court allotted the disputed site in Ayodhya for construction of a Ram temple, while calling the demolition of the mosque a violation of the rule of law. An alternative five-acre site was marked in the city for building a mosque.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2020 12:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).