Babri demolition case: Proclaimed offender appears in court
Lucknow: Proclaimed offender Om Prakash Pandey surrendered before the special CBI court here on Thursday in the Babri mosque demolition case.
The court took him under custody and later released him after he furnished a personal bond.
The court subsequently recorded his statement under Criminal Procedure Code section 313 (examination of accused). Pandey claimed he was innocent and had not committed any crime.
After Pandey's appearance, the court directed that his case be heard along with those of 31 other accused. The court had earlier separated his file from the other accused.
Special CBI judge S K Yadav had issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Pandey on July 28 when he failed to appear before him. The judge had declared him a proclaimed offender and proceeded to attach his property.
On Thursday, Pandey told the court that he had relinquished his home and was in Rishikesh, performing religious rituals to pray that the Ram temple be constructed at Ayodhya.
"I came to attend the August 5 ceremony in which the prime minister performed bhoomi pujan for the temple," said Pandey.
"It was then that I came to know about the court's NBW and so I am forthwith appearing before this court as I am a law-abiding citizen," he added.
Meanwhile, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh produced evidence in his defence in the court, which took it on record and directed other accused to produce their defence evidence on August 14.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the special court to conclude the trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case of 1992 by August 31 this year.
The Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.
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Two killed as college tour bus crashes into parked tanker, lorry near Maravanthe
Kundapur: Two persons died and several students were injured after a college tour bus rammed into a tanker and a goods lorry parked by the roadside near Maravanthe Beach in Trasi on Wednesday afternoon.
The bus was carrying final-year B.Com students of Rambhapuri College from Shivamogga district. According to sources, the group had left for the tour two days ago.
There were around 50 persons in the bus, including 24 male students and 23 female students.
The students had visited Murdeshwar and were travelling towards Udupi on Wednesday when the accident occurred.
Police said the bus driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, following which the bus first hit a parked gas tanker and then crashed into a goods lorry stationed ahead.
The front portion of the bus was badly mangled in the impact. Preliminary information said the bus cleaner and a cooking assistant travelling with the group died in the accident. Several injured students were shifted to different hospitals in Kundapur for treatment.
