New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday will resume its hearing on a CBI plea seeking restoration of charge of criminal conspiracy against senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.
A bench headed by Justice PC Ghose and Justice RF Nariman will be hearing the matter.
Earlier, the apex court had said it will not accept the discharge of Advani and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case only on technical grounds and kept the option open on reviving the conspiracy charge against them.
The apex court is hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s plea against Allahabad High Court's order dropping criminal conspiracy charges against the BJP leaders in the case.
There are two sets of cases – one against BJP veteran leader Advani and others, who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 when the Babri mosque was demolished.
The other case was against lakhs of 'karsevaks' (volunteers) who were in and around the disputed structure.
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The apex court while making oral observations on discharge of Advani and other BJP leaders M M Joshi and Uma Bharti also came up with the option of ordering a joint trial of cases arising out of the two FIRs lodged in the wake of the demolition of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri structure in Ayodhya in 1992.
"There are 13 persons who were discharged only on technical grounds. Today, we are saying why can't we club both the cases and have a joint trial," a bench comprising Justices PC Ghose and RF Nariman said.
Altogether, 13 persons including Advani, Joshi and Bharti were discharged of conspiracy charge in the case, the trial of which is being held at a special court in Raebareli.
Besides BJP leaders Advani, Joshi and Bharti, conspiracy charges were dropped against Kalyan Singh (presently Governor of Rajasthan), Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore (both have since died).
The CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
It had subsequently invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the high court.
