BJP leader Kalyan Singh appears before Babri mosque trial court
Lucknow: Senior BJP leader Kalyan Singh on Monday appeared before the special CBI court here in connection with the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case.
The 88-year-old former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and former Rajasthan Governor arrived at the court to record his statement before the CBI special judge.
The CBI court is currently recording the statements of 32 accused under CrPC section 313 (court's power to examine the accused), a stage in the trial that follows the examination of accused.
Other alleged accused, including former deputy prime minister L K Advani and senior BJP leaders M M Joshi, are yet to be examined at this stage.
Their lawyers have indicated to the CBI court that they prefer to appear through video conferencing.
Another accused, Ram Chandra Khatri, is presently lodged in a Sonipat jail in Haryana in connection with another case.
The special court had last week reiterated that a reminder should be sent to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for making arrangements to record his statement through video conferencing.
With regard to another accused Om Prakash Pandey, the CBI had furnished a report saying he was untraceable after his family claimed that he had renounced the world and became a seer and had not come home for years.
His brother Mahendra Pandey had said that he would try to find out the whereabouts of his brother and inform the CBI. The court had then directed the agency to remain in contact with Mahendra Pandey and furnish further report.
The court has already issued a non-bailable warrant against Om Prakash Pandey.
The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished in December 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that an ancient Ram temple had stood on the same site.
The CBI court is conducting day-to-day hearings to complete the trial by August 31, as directed by the Supreme Court.
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Tribal man brings dead sister's skeleton to bank to withdraw money from her account
Keonjhar (PTI): A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said.
The incident occurred at Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank located at Patana block of Keonjhar district. The man was identified as Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village. He was seeking to withdraw Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda (56), who died on January 26, 2026.
"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
Patana Police Station Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu, who reached the bank after getting information, said, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in presence of police.
Meanwhile, local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat said that he was not approached by anyone for the legal heir of late Kalra Munda. "Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue," the BDO said.
Meanwhile, bank sources said that the nominee in Kalra Munda's bank account was also dead. Therefore, Jeetu Munda was the lone claimant over the money deposited in her name.
The local administration has directed the bank officers to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda, who is the only claimant as per the rules, gets the money as soon as possible.
