Justice M.S. Liberhan, who headed a commission of inquiry into the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, said in his initial reaction that there was enough evidence to establish the culpability of the accused, who included top BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders, in a conspiracy to demolish the structure.
“I have appreciated the evidence as I have felt right. They have appreciated the evidence the way they felt right,” Justice Liberhan told THE WEEK over phone.
The special CBI court in Lucknow, which acquitted all the accused in the demolition case, said there was not enough evidence to prove a conspiracy. When asked about this, Liberhan said, “I do not believe that there was not enough evidence towards establishing a conspiracy in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.”
The 82-year-old former chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh and Madras High Courts responded in the affirmative when asked whether the audio and video evidence provided to him was adequate to arrive at a conclusion and if he was satisfied with its authenticity. “Yes, I was satisfied with the evidence,” he said.
The trial court said in its verdict that the evidence provided in the case was inconclusive to prove that the demolition was pre-planned as it acquitted all the accused.
The Liberhan Commission was formed by the P.V. Narasimha Rao government in December 1992, shortly after the demolition. The commission took 17 years to complete its inquiry. It submitted its report in June 2009, indicting senior BJP leaders and others of being responsible for the demolition.
