CM Yediyurappa hails Babri mosque verdict, calls it 'victory of truth'
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday welcomed the acquittal of BJP stalwart L K Advani and 31 others in the Babri mosque demolition case by a CBI court, describing it as a "victory of truth."
All the 32 accused in the case, including former Deputy Prime Minister Advani, ex union minister M M Joshi and Uma Bharti were acquitted by a special CBI court in Lucknow, which said there was no conclusive proof against them.
"The court's observation that the incident was not pre planned is a victory of truth," Yediyurappa told reporters.
Reacting to the judgement, he said he was personally very much pleased with it as he too was part of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Giving credit to BJP veterans Advani, Joshi and Bharti for setting the stage for construction of the Ram temple, whose foundation laying ceremony was performed about two months ago at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the CM said, "At this moment of joy for every Indian, I welcome the verdict."
Recalling the day the mosque was demolished, Yediyurappa said no one could ever forget Advani's historic speech on the occasion.
The case relates to razing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, which triggered riots for several months leaving nearly 2,000 people dead across the country.
The structure was demolished by 'kar sevaks', who claimed that the mosque was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple. Reacting to the verdict, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh said, "Truth prevails."
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan called it justice after 28 years of legal battle, while Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai termed the judgment "historic."
BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel called upon people to "welcome this momentous judgement."
However, the Social Democratic Party of India state chief Elyas Thumbe termed the verdict as 'unjust'.
"The verdict is absolutely unjust. In spite of clear evidence, the CBI court denied justice," he said in a video message circulated in social media.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
