Leading figures in India to face trial over mosque destroyed 16 years ago

India's Supreme Court has ordered that the co-founder of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, LK Advani, and other leaders be tried for criminal conspiracy in the demolition of a 16th century mosque about 25 years ago. The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, was pulled down by Hindu activists on December 6, 1992, leading to widespread riots in which more than 2,000 people died. Advani, 89, along with Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, has previously been charged with making inflammatory speeches which incited the activists to demolish the structure. The Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday came after a lower court dropped the charges brought against them by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), kicking off a series of appeals and counter-appeals. "We have allowed the CBI appeal against the Allahabad High Court judgement with certain directions," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted the Supreme Court judges as saying. The court ruled that the leaders will face the more serious charge of conspiracy and be tried by a special court in Lucknow city dealing with the actual demolition of the mosque, Zafaryab Jilani, a lawyer for the petitioner, said on Wednesday. "The judges set aside previous court orders that dropped conspiracy charges against these leaders. It accepted appeals by the prosecution and on our behalf to revive the charges," Jilani said. Keep visiting Mr Olumide's Blog M.O.B