A special CBI court in Lucknow on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, saying there was no conclusive proof.
Calling it a “very sad day”, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to appeal against the judgment.
“I am compelled to say today that violence pays politically,” he said, adding that this judgment satisfies the collective consciousness of Hindutva, its followers and its ideology.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury called it a “complete travesty of justice”.
CPIML also issued a statement and called the acquittal “another blow to India’s secular Constitution and social fabric”. “These verdicts are an incentive for perpetrators of hate crimes, assuring them that they can enjoy the political and material fruits of such crimes with total impunity,” the statement said.
Congress’s Ahmed Patel said the verdict is “shocking” and goes “contrary to principles of natural justice and Supreme Court’s observation”.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders welcomed the court’s verdict, with some leaders even tweeting “Jai Shri Ram”. Party leader LK Advani welcomed the court verdict by chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath both said they welcome the verdict.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also welcomed the verdict and said that the decision was awaited for the last 28 years. “Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the entire Sena party welcome the judgment as it was on expected lines. We should forget the incident now. If Babri wouldn’t have been pulled down, we wouldn’t have been able to see the bhoomi poojan of Ram Mandir,” Raut was quoted as saying by News18.