Indian intelligence seeks fresh charges in mosque case

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the country’s Supreme Court on Thursday that conspiracy charges against senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani and 12 others should be revived over the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case.

The apex court last month adjourned the plea challenging a trial court’s order to drop charges of criminal conspiracy against senior BJP leaders for their involvement in the demolition of the centuries-old Babri mosque.

The case was scheduled for hearing today.

BJP leaders -- including LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi -- have been charged with conspiracy by CBI in the case.

The BJP is India's ruling party.

In December 1992, Hindus gathered at the disputed site and destroyed the 16th-century mosque named after the Mughal dynasty Emperor, Babur.

The destruction prompted nationwide communal riots that left around 2,000 people dead.

Since then, Muslims have been calling for a new mosque at the same place, while Hindus have been demanding a temple on the site, claiming their most revered god, Lord Ram, was born there.

The dispute over the site of the destroyed mosque in the ancient city of Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state is a decades-old issue between Hindus and Muslims of India, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people over the years.