All 32 accused in the 28-year-old Babri demolition case were acquitted today by a special CBI court in Lucknow.
The demolition of the mosque "was not pre-planned", Special Judge SK Yadav said today as he said the leaders accused, including BJP founder-members - LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi - tried to stop the demolition by "anti-social elements". The Babri Masjid stood at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya.
Six of the 32 accused, including LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, joined through video conferencing; they were not present in the court.
LK Advani, MM Joshi and BJP leaders across the country welcomed the verdict as they said this was "the victory of truth".
"The judgment vindicates my personal and the BJP's belief and commitment towards the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. I also feel blessed that this judgment has come in the footsteps of another landmark verdict of the Supreme Court given in November 2019, which paved the way for my long cherished dream of seeing a grand Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, the foundation-laying ceremony of which was held on August 5," Mr Advani, 92, said in a statement.
However, the Congress and other opposition parties expressed their discontent. "The decision of the Special Court to acquit all the accused in #BabriMasjidDemolitionCase runs counter to Supreme Court Judgement as also the Constitutional spirit," Congress's Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet.