New Delhi: Top BJP leaders on Wednesday hailed the special CBI court's order acquitting all the accused in the Babri masjid demolition case and described it as a victory of truth and justice.
A special CBI court in Lucknow earlier in the day acquitted all 32 accused, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh in the over 27-year-long case, citing the absence of conclusive proof to suggest a criminal conspiracy.
Welcoming the judgment, senior BJP leader and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in a tweet said he welcomes the court's decision as it shows that though late but the justice has won.
Another party leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi in a video message on Twitter said, "I welcome the court's order which proves our claim that the demolition of the mosque was not a pre-planned conspiracy. Jai Shri Ram.
Stating that he was witness to the entire incident of December 6, 1992, Modi said, "It was all spontaneous and there was no conspiracy.
The BJP leader said at that time he was conducting the meeting from the dais and witnessed that Advani was unhappy when some workers climbed onto the Babri structure.
BJP leader Ram Madhav said this acquittal was long overdue and everyone should welcome the judgement.
Truth triumphs. CBI court's acquittal in Babri conspiracy case was long overdue. A malicious case against some of the most respected leaders of our nation has fallen aside finally after three decades, Madhav tweeted.
Babri verdict lost its relevance: Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said the Babri masjid demolition case lost its relevance after the supreme court settled the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit in 2019 even as he welcomed the special court's verdict acquitting all the 32 accused in the case.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said the demolition episode needed to be forgotten now.
The court in Lucknow has acquitted the accused, including BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, saying there was no conclusive proof against them.
"The (demolition) case in the special court lost its relevance after the supreme court's verdict on Ram temple and bhoomi pujan of the temple performed by the prime minister (in August)," Raut said.
"This verdict was expected. I, on behalf of Shiv Sena and party president Uddhav Thackeray, welcome this decision of the court," he added.
Raut also said that had Babri (mosque) not been razed, the 'bhoomi pujan' of Ram temple in Ayodhya wouldn't have been possible.
"...We have to forget that episode now," he added.
The case relates to the razing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, which triggered riots for several months leaving nearly 2,000 people dead across the country.
The structure was demolished by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that the mosque was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.
In its final judgement in the Ayodhya dispute case, the supreme court on November 9 last year ordered the disputed land be handed over to a trust to build the Ram temple.
The top court also ordered the government to give an alternative 5 acres of land in another place to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque.
(With inputs from PTI)