NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court on Tuesday dropped the contempt proceedings against Uma Bharti, MM Joshi, Sadhvi Ritambara, Vinay Katiyar, and others and ordered the closure of all the proceedings arising out of the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992.
This has put a complete closure to the legal battles regarding the Babri Masjid demolition.
Citing that a larger bench of the Supreme Court has already delivered a judgment on the Ayodhya matter, the Supreme Court bench said that ‘nothing survives in the matter now’.
Addressing the court, justice SK Kaul said, “There is a verdict delivered by a larger bench. Nothing survives in this matter now. You can’t keep flogging a dead horse. We are only making an attempt to take up old matters. Some may survive, some may go. Larger issue has already been decided by a five- judge bench. Petitioner has died, contempt petition against the respondents closed.”
Meanwhile, in separate matters, the Supreme Court also closed all proceedings arising out of 2002 riots in Gujarat. A batch of pleas was pending before the Supreme Court, commenting on which the apex court said that the cases have now become infructuous with passage of time.
“Trials in eight out of nine cases are over and final arguments are going on in one case in trial court, Naroda Gaon, Gujarat,” the Supreme Court bench said.
The apex court also closed the contempt of court case against Prashant Bhushan for his remarks against past CJIs. “In view of the explanation/apologies made by the contemnors, we don’t deem it necessary to continue the matter,” Live Law quoted the court as saying in the order.
The matter pertains to Bhushan’s 2009 remarks wherein, in an interview to Tehelka magazine, he had alleged that several previous CJIs were corrupt. The matter was lying dormant for several years. — (Agencies)