New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government today told the Supreme Court that it has complied with its direction and extended the tenure of the special judge, who is conducting trial in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case involving BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti.
A bench of justices R F Nariman and Surya Kant perused the affidavit and office memo placed before it by the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. Senior advocate Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, told the bench that they have complied with the top court’s direction and extended the tenure of the special judge till he delivers the judgement in the Ayodhya demolition case.
“We are satisfied that the needful has been done,” the bench said while disposing of the matter. The top court had on 23 August asked the Uttar Pradesh government to look into the requests made by Special Judge, Surendra Kumar Yadav, in his letter to the apex court considering the enormity of the work done by him.
The apex court had on 19 July extended the special judge’s tenure till the completion of trial and delivery of verdict in the case. The top court had said that the extension of tenure of the special judge, who is set to retire on 30 September, will only be for the purpose of concluding the trial and delivering the verdict in the case.
He was also asked by the top court to deliver the verdict within nine months. Besides Advani, Joshi and Bharti, the accused against whom conspiracy charge was invoked in the case by the Supreme Court on 19 April, 2017, include former BJP MP Vinay Katiar and Sadhvi Ritambara. Three other high-profile accused Giriraj Kishore, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal and Vishnu Hari Dalmia died during trial and the proceedings against them have been abated.