The Allahabad High Court division bench has dismissed a criminal appeal filed against the order of the Special CBI Court in Lucknow that acquitted all 32 people (including prominent BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati, Kalyan Singh, and others) accused of hatching the criminal conspiracy that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque on December 6, 1992.

The appeal, filed by Haji Mahboob Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad of Ayodhya, challenges the Special CBI court's 2020 decision, which stated that "there was nothing on record to establish the existence of a conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid."

The verdict, which was originally delivered in Hindi, acquitted individuals such as prominent BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati, Kalyan Singh, and others.

The appeal was filed by two Ayodhya residents, Haji Mahmood Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad, who claimed to have seen the disputed structure demolished on December 6, 1992. In their plea, they also stated that they were victims of the incident. "The appellants have not only suffered loss of their historical place of worship known as Babri Masjid, but have also suffered great financial loss on account of the destruction of their houses, which were not only damaged and looted by the offender and their collaborators, but their houses were also set on fire, and most of their belongings of their houses had also been destroyed on account of the arson and looting of their houses," it was argued before the court.

The victims also claimed that the CBI investigated the case because it is the premier investigating agency in criminal cases, but after the accused were acquitted, the agency opposed the instant appeal as if it were representing the accused.

"The agency has adorned the role of defence on behalf of accused persons, and the victims have been left to accomplish the job of prosecution despite being victims with no means or help from anyone, neither the state nor the police nor the CBI," the report states. 

Case title - Haji Mahboob Ahmad And Anr. v. State Of U.P. Thru. Home Secy. Lucknow And Ors