Hearing in Babri demolition case postponed till Nov 18 - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday fixed November 18 as the next date of hearing in the Babri mosque demolition case. "On the request of defence counsel Hari Dutt Sharma seeking adjournment on personal grounds, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vishnu Prasad Agarwal posted the matter for further hearing on November 18," the prosecution said today. The defence reportedly moved one more application seeking the court's status in connection with some accused in the case, which was argued by the CBI counsel. It has been reported that senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Anju Gupta, who was deployed as security officer with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on December 6, 1992, and is a key witness in the case appeared before the court. The hearing in the case had resumed after a gap of more than three months following nomination of ACJM Agarwal by the High Court. There was no judge in the court due to transfer of CJM Gulab Singh prior to his nomination. A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court ruled on September 30 that the Ramlala idol would remain on the disputed land in Ayodhya, deeming it Lord Ram's birthplace. The court divided the 2.77 acre disputed site among three parties: the Sunni Waqf Board; the Nirmohi Akhara and the party representing 'Ram Lala Virajman'. The 8000-page verdict came after nearly 60 years of litigation on the title dispute. The Sunni Waqf Board has, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement and decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Ayodhya verdict. The demolition of the 16th century mosque had triggered widespread communal riots across the country.