Former Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh was on Friday put on trial by a special CBI court in Lucknow in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case after he appeared before it, responding to summons and pleaded "not guilty".
Special Judge S.K. Yadav, however, granted bail to Singh, who was Uttar Pradesh chief minister when the 16th-century structure was razed on December 6, 1992.
The judge also exempted Singh from personal appearance in the case.
After ceasing to be the Rajasthan governor since early this month, Singh has rejoined the BJP.
The court is already holding trial of several BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Murli Manhor Joshi and Uma Bharti, for allegedly conspiring to demolish the mosque at the disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.
The court had issued summons to Singh after his term as Rajasthan governor expired in the first week of this month, stripping him of the constitutional immunity from the trial in the case.
The BJP leader was first taken in judicial custody by the court after he appeared before it at around 2 pm. Special Judge Yadav then framed charges against him under various penal offences and put him on the trial as Singh pleaded "not guilty".
The offences on which Singh was put on trial included hatching criminal conspiracy (120 B), promoting enmity on grounds of religion (section 153 A), making assertions prejudicial to national integration (153 B), defiling a place of worship (295) and committing deliberate and malicious acts aimed at outraging religious feelings (295A) criminal conspiracy (120 B) under the Indian Penal Code.
After framing charges against Singh, the court, however, granted him bail, responding to his plea, and released him on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh.
Singh's counsel subsequently filed another application, seeking exemption for him from personal appearance in the court during the trial.
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The court granted him the relief till further orders.
Singh's other party colleagues, including Advani, Joshi and Bharti, too are on bail in the case and have been granted exemption from personal appearance.
The three leaders have been facing trial since May 2017 when they first appeared before the court after the Supreme Court on April 17 that year struck down an Allahabad High Court's order, discharging them in the case.
While revoking the high court's Lucknow bench order on an appeal by the CBI, the apex court had allowed the agency to proceed against the BJP leaders.
But with Kalyan Singh holding the post of Rajasthan governor at that time and enjoying constitutional immunity from prosecution in any criminal case, the court had directed the CBI to proceed against him after he ceases to be a governor.
As Kalyan Singh's term came to an end earlier this month, the CBI moved the court for summoning him.