Press Trust of India Posted online: Saturday, June 25, 2005 at 1315 hours IST
New Delhi, June 24: The term of the Liberhan Commission of inquiry probing the Babri Masjid demolition has been been extended by three months till September 30.
This was stated by an official release here today.
The Commission's term, which has been extended several times was to expire on June 30.
The Commission headed by Justice (retd) M S Liberhan has been inquiring into the sequence of events leading to the destruction of disputed Ram janma bhoomi-Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Sources said during this extension, the Commission is expected to file atleast an interim report.
The Commission constituted within a fortnight after the demolition of the disputed structure closed the recording of evidence on June 3 barring an application pending to summon former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
The proceedings were completed after the conclusion of deposition of Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh when the monument was demolished. He had evaded appearance before the Commission for more than 11 years by filing a writ in the Allahabad High Court, which was later transferred to the Delhi High Court.
Singh, a key witness, had contended that his deposition before the
Commission would prejudice his criminal case pending the CBI court in the state. However, after the writ became infructous, summons was issued against him by the Commission forcing him to appear before it.
In more than 12 years of proceedings, the Commission has recorded statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police officials.
Kalyan Singh, whose deposition was longest, had asserted that the state administration had done its best for the safety and protection of the Mughal monument and had blamed the then Congress government of creating circumstances leading to its demolition.
Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, during whose tenure at the centre the structure was razed, had deposed before the Commission accusing the Kalyan Singh government for the demolition.
Besides, Rao former Prime Minister V P Singh had also recorded his statement in detail on the Ram temple movement and subsequent demolition of the disputed structure.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani during his deposition before the Commission termed the demolition of disputed Babri Masjid as the saddest day of his life, which he repudiated in Pakistan in his recent visit.
Advani had even compared the demolition with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots saying that the violence and destruction of property of Sikh community after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was ‘more shameful’ than the event of December 6, 1992.
Among other senior BJP leaders, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, had also recorded their statements before the Commission.
The Commission had a tough time during the deposition of Bajrang Dal leader Vinay Katiyar, who even used some foul language and went to the extent of saying that the report of the Commission would be useless and would gather dust on official shelves.
Besides, top bureaucrats and police officials of Uttar Pradesh, the then district magistrate R N Srivastava and SSP D B Roy of Ayodhya had recorded their statements on demolition.
The term of the Liberhan Commission of inquiry probing the Babri Masjid demolition has been been extended by three months till September 30.
This was stated by an official release here today.
The Commission's term, which has been extended several times was to expire on June 30.
The Commission headed by Justice (retd) M S Liberhan has been inquiring into the sequence of events leading to the destruction of disputed Ram janma bhoomi-Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Sources said during this extension, the Commission is expected to file atleast an interim report.
The Commission constituted within a fortnight after the demolition of the disputed structure closed the recording of evidence on June 3 barring an application pending to summon former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
The proceedings were completed after the conclusion of deposition of Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh when the monument was demolished. He had evaded appearance before the Commission for more than 11 years by filing a writ in the Allahabad High Court, which was later transferred to the Delhi High Court.
Singh, a key witness, had contended that his deposition before the Commission would prejudice his criminal case pending the CBI court in the state. However, after the writ became infructous, summons was issued against him by the Commission forcing him to appear before it.
In more than 12 years of proceedings, the Commission has recorded statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police officials.
Kalyan Singh, whose deposition was longest, had asserted that the state administration had done its best for the safety and protection of the Mughal monument and had blamed the then Congress government of creating circumstances leading to its demolition.
Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, during whose tenure at the centre the structure was razed, had deposed before the Commission accusing the Kalyan Singh government for the demolition.
Besides, Rao former Prime Minister V P Singh had also recorded his statement in detail on the Ram temple movement and subsequent demolition of the disputed structure.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani during his deposition before the Commission termed the demolition of disputed Babri Masjid as the saddest day of his life, which he repudiated in Pakistan in his recent visit.
Advani had even compared the demolition with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots saying that the violence and destruction of property of Sikh community after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was ‘more shameful’ than the event of December 6, 1992.
Among other senior BJP leaders, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, had also recorded their statements before the Commission.
The Commission had a tough time during the deposition of Bajrang Dal leader Vinay Katiyar, who even used some foul language and went to the extent of saying that the report of the Commission would be useless and would gather dust on official shelves.
Besides, top bureaucrats and police officials of Uttar Pradesh, the then district magistrate R N Srivastava and SSP D B Roy of Ayodhya had recorded their statements on demolition.
