The Hindu : Front Page : PMO denies interference in Ayodhya case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 23, 2004

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Front Page

PMO denies interference in Ayodhya case

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) today denied that it had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to re-open the Babri Masjid demolition case against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, L.K. Advani. The PMO was responding to a charge made by the BJP earlier in the day that it was "misusing" the CBI in the Babri demolition case.

Officials in the PMO said the letter, addressed to the Secretary (Personnel), had only sought information and did not give any directions to the CBI relating to the Babri Masjid demolition case, also known as the Ayodhya case.

The letter, written by a PMO official on December 8, sought information if there was "any legal provisions and grounds for [the] CBI to file a Revision against the discharge of Mr. Advani at this stage and examine if there is any negligence on the part of any investigation/ prosecuting agency in not filing a Revision Petition on time."

The letter said the CBI Director had informed that the agency "has not filed a Revision Petition against the order of discharge of Mr. Advani as the period of limitation has already expired."

The Special Magistrate, Rae Bareli, ordered on September 19, 2003 the framing of charges against seven accused persons — Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vishnu Hari Dalmia, Vinay Katiar, Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Ritambara. The Special Magistrate had discharged Mr. Advani.

The letter noted that the CBI had also informed that two witnesses "have filed a Revision Petition in the High Court against the discharge of Mr. Advani, which is being heard. In this regard, I have been asked to request that the Ministry of Law and Justice may kindly be consulted to examine if a decision on the Revision Petition can be expedited."

Earlier in the day, the BJP charged the PMO with "misusing" the CBI to "re-open" the Babri demolition case against Mr. Advani. "A senior official in the Prime Minister's Office has written to the CBI, asking the agency to re-open the case against Mr. Advani," the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman, V. K. Malhotra, told reporters.

He said the BJP possessed a copy of the letter, written by the Prime Minister's Office, which said that legal opinion should be sought to re-open the case against Mr. Advani.

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