Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti will not resign after the Supreme Court’s ruled that she and other leaders will face conspiracy charges in the Babri Masjid demolition case. “This [the Babri Masjid demolition] case is going on since 1993. Somehow it is going on and no new situation has arisen. So the situation, which was prevailing, will continue,” said Jaitley, according to PTI.
Jaitley’s comments come as the Congress demanded action against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Bharti, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who will face trial in the case. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said ministers holding Constitutional positions should resign, reported ANI. Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik also made similar demands and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Bharti.
However, Bharti said, “Party [the Congress] that was behind Emergency and 1984 riots has no right to demand my resignation.” She also accepted the Supreme Court’s ruling and added that she was willing to face any punishment for the sake of Ayodhya, Ganga and the Tricolour. The water resources minister told ANI that she would visit Ayodhya on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Jaitley also clarified that the Wednesday’s verdict will not have any political ramification on the selection of candidates for president and vice president’s posts. Rumours are doing the rounds that the BJP may field veteran leaders Advani and Joshi for the president and vice president elections, respectively. If the rumours stand to be true, the top court’s latest ruling in the Babri Masjid demolition case will be a big blow. President Pranab Mukherjee’s tenure ends on July 24, while that of Vice President Hamid Ansari is on August 10.
However, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had a different take on the matter. He said the Supreme Court’s verdict was a masterstroke by Modi to remove Advani’s name from the presidential race. “The CBI is under the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It stood in the Supreme Court and sought permission to run trial against Advani and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case... It is well known that the CBI does what the government desires,” he told PTI.
The verdict:
Earlier on Wednesday, the apex court restored the criminal conspiracy charges against Advani, Joshi, Bharti and several others in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The bench, however, excluded Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh from its judgement as he enjoys Constitutional immunity.
In its ruling, the court has put down a number of directions, including that there will be no adjournments under normal circumstances, and that the judges hearing the case will not be transferred.
It also observed that no case will be registered against Kalyan Singh as he has immunity as the governor of Rajasthan. According to Article 361 of the Indian Constitution, a governor is not answerable to any court with regard to exercising his duties, and no criminal proceedings can be instituted or continued against them while in office.
The case:
The bench – headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar and comprising justices PC Ghose and Rohinton Nariman – had earlier suggested resolving the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, through negotiations outside court.
On December 6, 1992, the mosque was demolished by lakhs of karsevaks, who had gathered at the site from across the country. The incident had triggered communal riots across the country. The karsevaks had claimed that the land on which the mosque stood was the birthplace of Ram.
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