ALSO READ| Amit Shah, With Team Of Govt Lawyers, Meets LK Advani Ahead Of Babri Masjid Case Hearing
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday recorded his statement before a special CBI court here in the Babri Masjid demolition case in which he is accused of criminal conspiracy.
Special CBI judge S.K. Yadav recorded the 86-year-old Joshi’s statement through video conferencing.
In his statement to the court, Joshi said those who had deposed against him in the case had done so for political reasons and that all allegations against him were false, sources said. Advani is likely to maintain the same stance in his statement before the court.
Senior BJP leader Kalyan Singh, who was the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished by a mob of ‘karsevaks’ on December 6, 1992, has already recorded his statement. So has Uma Bharti, former Union Minister and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Singh (88) and Bharti appeared before the court in person.
ALSO READ|Ram Temple Groundbreaking Ceremony On August 5, PM Modi To Reach Ayodhya For Ritual | Key Points
The court, through daily hearings, has to complete the trial and deliver its verdict by August 31.
Ahead of veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani’s deposition before the special CBI court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case, home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, accompanied by a team of government lawyers, met Advani at the latter’s residence. The two leaders spoke for around 30 minutes.
After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.
Ground Breaking ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 5th August
The grand groundbreaking event for the Ram temple is going to take place on August 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Ram Mandir which is slated to be constructed in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
PM Modi will offer prayers to Lord Ram at the temple and Lord Hanuman at Hanuman Garhi Temple before laying the foundation stone for the construction of the temple.