The Hindu : New Delhi News : Kalyan's plea dismissed

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Friday, Jul 23, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Kalyan's plea dismissed

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 22. The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition by the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh, challenging his summoning by the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry looking into the demolition of the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in 1992.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul dismissed the petition when counsel for the petitioner failed to appear despite repeated calls by the Court staff.

Later, counsel for the Commission, Anupam Gupta, showed a copy of the statement of Mr. Kalyan Singh submitted to the Commission through his counsel, B.B. Saxena, this past June saying that no criminal case was pending against him in connection with the demolition.

With the filing of the statement by Mr. Singh, the very reason for moving the Court had disappeared, Mr. Gupta submitted.

Mr. Singh had moved the High Court challenging his summoning by the Commission as a witness on the ground that his statement, if made, before the Commission could be used against him in the criminal case related to the demolition of the disputed structure pending in a lower court in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Singh's petition, pending in the High Court since 2000, had become infructuous in April last year following the closure of evidence by the Commission.

However, the High Court had revived it on an application by Mr. Singh following issuance of a fresh summons by the Commission to him on an application by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

The Board had urged the Commission to direct the former Chief Minister to depose in the matter as he had reportedly said at that time that he would expose the roles of then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and his the then deputy, L.K. Advani, in the demolition of the disputed structure.

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