Babri demolition case: CBI seeks more time to show Kalyan Singh no longer holds governor post
Lucknow: The CBI on Wednesday sought more time from a special court, conducting the trial of those accused in the alleged conspiracy of Babri Masjid demolition, for furnishing documents to put on record that Kalyan Singh no longer holds the constitutional post of governor.
The central probe agency had on Monday moved the special CBI court here for summoning Singh to face trial in the case after his term as Rajasthan governor ended.
Singh, who was Uttar Pradesh chief minister when the mosque in Ayodhya was demolished, enjoyed protection from trial while he held a constitutional post as governor. After completing his five-year term as governor, the 87-year-old Singh rejoined the BJP at the party office in Lucknow on Monday.
The court had taken up the CBI application on Monday and for the record, inquired from the agency if Singh no longer holds the constitutional post of governor.
Responding to the court's query on Wednesday, the CBI sought more time to furnish the documents. The court has fixed September 16 as the next date of hearing on the CBI plea.
The special court is conducting the trial of those accused in the alleged conspiracy including senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.
Moving the application on Monday, the CBI had pleaded that Kalyan Singh was charge-sheeted in 1993.
It pleaded that the Supreme Court in its order of April 19, 2017 had said Singh could not be brought to trial because of the constitutional immunity granted to governors under Article 361 of the Constitution.
The SC had, however, allowed the CBI to move for summoning the former chief minister as an accused as soon as he ceased to be a governor. All the accused are on bail in the case which is being heard on a day-to-day basis, going by the apex court's directions.
The SC had in 2017 ordered the revival of the demolition case. This is separate from the case to decide the ownership of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site.
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Charred body of teen found after fire destroys over 100 shanties in Delhi's Rithala
New Delhi (PTI): A massive fire swept through a cluster of shanties in Delhi's Rithala area early on Thursday, killing a 17-year-old girl and destroying more than 100 huts that left dozens of migrant families homeless.
Firefighters pulled out the charred body of the girl who was initially reported missing after the fire.
The blaze that was reported to authorities at 4.15 am spread rapidly through the densely packed shanties, triggering panic among residents who rushed out of their huts to escape the flames.
Residents said the shanty cluster was home to migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and other states who worked as daily wage workers in nearby factories, construction sites and small establishments.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) launched a large-scale firefighting operation and deployed more than 18 fire tenders to control the blaze.
After the fire was brought under control, firefighters recovered the charred body of a teenage girl from the debris.
"Teams reached the location soon after the call was received and began firefighting operations. The fire had already engulfed several shanties in the cluster," a fire official said.
Officials said the blaze spread quickly because the huts were built very close to each other and many contained highly inflammable materials such as plastic sheets, wooden planks and cloth.
Firefighters and local police personnel carried out rescue and cooling operations and managed to bring the fire under control by around 6.30 am.
"The fire had spread to more than 100 huts and a adjacent godown of paper rolls and cardboard and the doors and windows of some residential flats also caught fire. A 17-year-old girl charred body was also recovered. Her body was sent to BSA Hospital by PCR," the officer said.
Police said the girl has been identified and further legal procedures are underway.
Many families said they lost everything in the fire as they had to flee with no belongings during the fire.
"We ran out to save our lives when the fire started. Within minutes everything was burning. Our hut, clothes, money and documents -- everything has turned to ashes," said Ramesh Kumar, a labourer from Bihar who has been living in the area.
Another person from West Bengal, said the flames spread so quickly that people barely had time to wake their children and escape.
"We woke up to screams and saw fire everywhere. We somehow managed to take the children outside. We could not save anything from the hut. All our belongings are gone," she said.
Some residents were seen searching through the burnt remains of their huts in the hope of finding salvageable items. "We worked for years to build this small hut and collect household items. In just a few minutes, everything we had earned was destroyed," said a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh.
Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and an investigation is underway.
