Date:18/01/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/01/18/stories/2004011804130800.htm

National

Liberhan panel to resume final arguments on January 30

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 17 .The Liberhan Commission of Inquiry probing the sequence of events leading to the demolition of the "disputed Babri Masjid structure" in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 will resume hearing on the final arguments from January 30.

This has been indicated by Justice Liberhan in view of the fact that the Commission has been asked by the Centre to submit its final report by March 31.

All parties have been asked to file their written submissions and complete their final arguments by February 25 so that the Commission will have enough time to finalise the report. The Commission has made it clear that no adjournment will be given.

Mr. Justice Liberhan, in his brief order said: "In view of the Government's notification extending the term of the Commission only up to March 31, 2004, and the stay order granted by the High Court in the writ petition filed by Kalyan Singh, the Commission is compelled to hear resumed arguments from the stage where they were adjourned on the request of counsel for the parties other than that of the Central Government."

However, the Commission made it clear that if the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh, was examined at any stage, the parties would be at liberty to address additional arguments in the light of his depositions and evidence.

Soon after Mr. Singh issued a statement making allegations against the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, applications were filed before the Commission seeking to summon them and they were rejected.

Mr. Singh, who was asked to appear challenged it in the Delhi High Court and the matter was still pending.

The Commission set up soon after the Masjid demolition had concluded recording of evidence on January 22, 2003 and after the final arguments from counsel for the Central Government, it could not proceed further since it was felt that the examination of Mr. Kalyan Singh was desirable before proceeding further.

In the last 11 years of hearing, the Commission has had nearly 325 sittings and examined 99 witnesses — 14 defence witnesses; 53 Central Government witnesses and 32 Commission's witnesses including Mr. Advani, the former Prime Ministers, P.V. Narasimha Rao and V.P. Singh; the former West Bengal Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, the Union Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, and senior leaders of the VHP and the RSS.