M A I N   N E W S

Ayodhya trial in Rae Bareily
SC upholds UP Govt order

New Delhi, November 29
Rejecting a petition seeking trial of the Ayodhya case accused including, the Deputy Prime Minister Mr L.K. Advani, at Lucknow, the Supreme Court said today that the trial would now take place at a Rae Bareily’s Special Court as was decided by the Uttar Pradesh Government in consultation with the Allahabad High Court.

Disposing of a bunch of petitions challenging the High Court order quashing an October 1993 notification, a Bench of the Chief Justice Mr G.B. Pattanaik, Mr Justice K.G. Balalkrishnan and Mr Justice Arun Kumar said as the trial had been assigned to the Rae Bareily court, “We see no justification in the petitions.”

When counsel for one of the petitioners, Mohd Aslam alias Bhure, insisted that the trial should be held at Lucknow, the Bench said “No person much less the petitioners in public interest can claim for a special court at a special place for the trial of a case”.

A controversy had arisen when the High Court quashed a state government notification of October 1993, assigning the trial of the case against Mr Advani, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi and Ms Uma Bharti to a special court at Lucknow, which later had ordered framing of charges against them.

The Rajnath Singh government had refused to issue a new notification regarding trial of the case. However, the Mayawati government issued on September 28 a notification in consultation with the High Court assigning the trial of all Ayodhya cases including that against Mr Advani and others, to a special court at Rae Bareily.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday termed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Babri Masjid case as a moral victory.

The Chief Minister also used the opportunity to criticise her political rivals, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, which had been directing their ire against her over the issuance of a new notification on the case.

She said now the people knew that the state government had not issued a fresh notification keeping in mind the technicalities.

“My stand has been vindicated and there was no pressure whatsoever from the BJP,’’ she asserted.

The BSP vice-president also maintained that the opposition was trying to provoke Muslim sentiments against her party on the issue.

On September 17, 2002 the state government had refused to issue a fresh notification on the case relating to the Ayodhya demolition after the Supreme Court gave three weeks’ time to the UP Government on whether it would issue a new notification in the case in July. UNI, PTI