Babri mosque: India court acquits BJP leaders in demolition case

A special court has acquitted top leaders from India's governing party for their alleged role in the demolition of a mosque in 1992. Former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, and BJP leaders MM Joshi and Uma Bharti, had denied charges of inciting Hindu mobs to demolish the 16th Century Babri mosque in the town of Ayodhya. The demolition sparked violence that killed some 2,000 people. It was also a pivotal moment in the political rise of the Hindu right-wing.

Wednesday's verdict acquitted 32 of the 49 people charged - 17 had died while the case was under way.
The court said there was insufficient evidence to prove the demolition had been planned. Hindu mobs had demolished the mosque, saying it was built on the ruins of a temple for Lord Ram - they believe the deity was born in Ayodhya. It is both a historic and contentious verdict, ending a case that also implicated former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who died in 2018.

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