HC relief for Advani in Babri case

In a respite to L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and 19 others in the Babri Masjid demolition case, the Allahabad High Court on Thuursday dismissed the Central Bureau for Investigation's revision petition challenging a special court decision to drop criminal proceedings against them.

The CBI had sought a direction for continuing proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Advani and Joshi, Uma Bharti, former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh and others in connection with the demolition of the mosque on December 6, 1992. In his 44-page judgement, Justice Alok Kumar Singh of the Lucknow bench of the High Court said, "...Nothing is found against the correctness, legality, propriety or regularity in respect of any of the findings of the lower court".

"There is no embellishment in the impugned order dated May 4, 2001 neither on the factual or legal matrix. Hence there is no occasion for this court to make any interference in the impugned order," the court said. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray were among the 21 who were given relief by the special court.