The Hindu : `Tapes have no speeches of Advani, Joshi'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 31, 2003

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`Tapes have no speeches of Advani, Joshi'

Rae Bareilly July 30 . The Central Bureau of Investigation today admitted that the video and audio tapes submitted by it as evidence in the Ayodhya demolition case under trial at a special court here did not contain the speeches of the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the Union Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, the BJP leader, Uma Bharti, and some others.

Briefing reporters outside the court, CBI counsel, S.S. Gandhi, said that of the four video and three audio tapes screened in the chamber of the Special Judge, V.K. Singh, one audio tape contained the speech of Sadhvi Ritambhara. The CBI played the tapes in the presence of counsel of the parties concerned.

But Mr. Gandhi said that the CBI had, "oral evidence'' against all the eight accused persons including Mr. Advani, Mr. Joshi and Ms. Bharti.

He said the CBI had oral evidence that these people were present at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 and incited the crowd resulting in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

`No case made out'

Defence counsel, Mahipal Ahluwalia, asserted that there was nothing in the tapes that implicated his clients. ``No case is made out against the defendants by the tapes.''

Mr. Ahluwalia said his client would appear before the court as and when required. ``We are not above law.''

He justified the screening of the tapes inside the chamber of the Special Judge, saying it was the usual practice. ``It was mere viewing of the tapes and not any proceeding,'' he said.

Earlier, the court granted exemption to all the accused from personal appearance for today and tomorrow.

The judge also justified the screening of the tapes in his chamber saying it was done keeping in view the sensitive nature of the case. Even mediapersons were kept out.

The district bar strongly condemned the screening of the tapes inside the chamber of the judge alleging that it was being done ``under government pressure''. The lawyers also objected to "entry of outsiders" inside the judge's chamber.

``Several persons, who have nothing to do with the case, gained entry into the judge's chamber,'' the senior lawyer, Shyam Shankar Pandey, alleged. The hearing of the matter would continue tomorrow when defence counsel would advance arguments on the charges.

PTI

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