New Delhi: The Supreme Court is likely to hear, in October, the CBI plea challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict of May 20, 2010, discharging BJP leader L K Advani and 19 others of the charges of criminal conspiracy in the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
A bench of Justice G S Singhvi and Justice V Gopala Gowda indicated that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea would be taken up for hearing in the first week of October after senior counsel P P Rao, appearing for the agency, sought the hearing of the matter.
However, the court asked Rao to approach Chief Justice P Sathasivam for the dates when matter would be taken up. Senior counsel K K Venugopal, appearing for the respondents, told the court that he had no objection.
The CBI, which had moved the apex court on February 18, 2011, nearly nine months after the Allahabad High Court verdict, has yet to persuade the court on the justification for delay in challenging the high court order.
The CBI in its appeal before the apex court has said that the high court verdict discharging Advani and others of the offence of criminal conspiracy “is inconsistent with the previous judgment rendered by the Allahabad High Court on Feb 12, 2001”.
IaNS
