Working president of Vishva Hindu Parishad, Pravin Togadia, demanded that CBI should file an appeal in the larger bench against the apex order which directed top BJP leaders LK Advani and MM Joshi and others to stand trial for criminal conspiracy in demolition of Babri Masjid.
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Manish Tiwari said that the decision has put Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "morality quotient" on test. The court said separate trials being conducted in trial courts at Raebareli and Lucknow will be clubbed and conducted in the capital of Uttar Pradesh only. The appeals were filed by one Haji Mahboob Ahmad (since dead) and the CBI against dropping of conspiracy charges against 21 accused including the top BJP leaders. She has to face the charges. "So the situation which was prevailing will continue", Jaitley told reporters. Kalyan Singh was the chief minister of UP in 1992.
Tiwari said it was not right to compare the Babri Masjid demolition and the ensuing anti-Muslim riots to anti-Sikh riots of 1984 which happened when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister, and allegedly did nothing to prevent the riots.
"At least after 25 years there is substantial step forward in the cause of justice".
"Our Prime Minister doesn't get exhausted of speaking of morality and moral high ground".
Another Congress leader Randeep Surjewala expressed hope that the apex court's verdict would be implemented in toto without any fear and favour.
"The law of the land has prevailed". 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.
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However, another accused in the case Kalyan Singh, who was BJP's chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the mosque was demolished and is now the governor of western state of Rajasthan, will be prosecuted once he demits the constitutional office.
The order comes after the CBI had petitioned the apex court saying 14 people, including BJP leaders, who had been acquitted of the charges under criminal conspiracy, should be tried in the Lucknow Court.
The Supreme Court ruled that the trial must conclude within two years.
To ensure speedy trial, the top court has given two important directions - first, no party shall be granted adjournments without the sessions judge being satisfied of the reasons for it; second, the trial judge hearing the case shall not be transferred till the judgement is delivered.
The Supreme Court order follows demands from the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's main investigating agency, that the conspiracy charges against the senior party leaders be reinstated.
Giriraj Singh, who is Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), said: "The court will do its own work and we will respect the verdict of the court in the case".
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