| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. All acquitted in Babri Masjid demolition case A special CBI court in Uttar Pradesh today held that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 was not planned but involved "anti-social elements" who got agitated and caused the destruction. It acquitted all the 32 persons accused by the CBI of a conspiracy to bring down the mosque, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. "The accused tried to stop the demolition," the court said. "Anti-social elements brought down the structure. The accused leaders tried to stop these people," said the special judge, whose term had been extended for this verdict. The court also held that the audio and video evidence produced by the CBI did not establish conspiracy charges. It further said that the audio of the speeches was not clear. "There is no evidence that the accused got together in common cause with anti-social Kar Sewaks to bring down the disputed structure. The leaders seated on stage and those near the Ram Chabutara, VHP leader Ashok Singhal and BJP's Vijaya Raje Scindia, did not suspect that a section of the Kar Sewaks will get agitated and climb the disputed structure," the judge said. The mosque demolition was preceded by a series of 'Rath Yatras' led by L.K. Advani, whose campaign for a Ram temple catapulted the BJP to the national spotlight. The CBI alleged that Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, the chief minister of U.P. at the time, were present near the mosque and delivered speeches that instigated the crowds to carry out the demolition. The CBI will decide on filing an appeal against the special court verdict after consulting the legal department, its counsel said. "After a copy of today's verdict is received, it would be sent to the CBI headquarters where it would be studied by the legal department and a decision on filing an appeal would be taken as per its suggestion," CBI counsel Lalit Singh said. Liberhan Commission had reported 'joint conspiratorial enterprise' Interestingly, the CBI court's verdict runs counter to the findings of the Justice Liberhan Commission, which probed the sequence of events that led to the Babri Masjid demolition and submitted its report to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009, 16 years after it was formed, and after holding 399 sittings.  A kar sevak (volunteer) looks at policemen as he and other karsevaks demolish the wall of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. The Commission's report held unequivocally that the events leading up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid were part of a planned conspiracy. This is a good time to recall some of its key findings: "It is established that the events of and leading up to the 6th of December in the birthplace of the virtuous Lord Ram considered an incarnation of God and the ideal king, were tainted by a joint conspiratorial enterprise. A handful of malevolent leaders unabashedly invoked the name of the paragon of tolerance to turn peaceful communities into intolerant hordes." "The factual matrix also yields indisputable evidence that lured by the prospect of power or wealth, a rank of leaders emerged within the BJP, RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal etc. who were neither guided by any ideology nor imbued with any dogma nor restrained by any moral trepidation. These leaders saw the "Ayodhya Issue" as their road to success and sped down this highway mindless of the casualties they scattered about. These leaders were the executioners wielding the sword handed to them by the ideologues." Check out the full conclusions of the Commission's report here. 'Jai Shri Ram', says Advani after being acquitted BJP leader L.K. Advani, after being acquitted by a special CBI court on Wednesday in the Babri mosque demolition case, welcomed the court verdict by chanting 'Jai Shri Ram', and said it vindicates his personal and the BJP's belief and commitment to the 'Ram Janmabhoomi Movement' . "It is a very important decision and a matter of happiness for us. When we heard the news of the court's order, we welcomed it by chanting Jai Shri Ram, Advani said in a video message. Later, he said, "I also feel blessed that this judgement has come in the footsteps of another landmark verdict of the Supreme Court given in November 2019, which paved the way for my long cherished dream of seeing a grand Shri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, the foundation laying ceremony of which was held on 5th August, 2020." Verdict runs counter to SC judgment, constitutional spirit: Congress Reacting to the Babri verdict, the Congress on Wednesday said it runs counter to a Supreme Court judgment and the constitutional spirit. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said every Indian who has innate faith in the Constitution and in the spirit of communal amity and brotherhood expects and urges the central and State governments to file an appeal against the decision of the special CBI court. The Supreme Court in its judgement on November 9 last year, pronounced by five judges, had clearly held that the demolition of Babri Masjid was a clear illegality and egregious violation of the rule of law, Surjewala told reporters. "But the special court exonerated all the accused. It is clear that the decision of the special court runs counter to the decision of the Supreme Court of India," he said. "Entire country witnessed a deep-rooted political conspiracy by BJP-RSS and its leaders to destroy the country's communal amity and brotherhood for usurping power at any cost," he said. Hathras gang rape case: UP orders SIT probe after family alleges girl was forcibly cremated The 19-year-old Dalit woman whose death in a Delhi hospital two weeks after she was brutally gang-raped sparked protests and anguish, was cremated near her home in Hathras in the dead of the night early Wednesday, with her family alleging they were forced by local police to conduct the last rites. "The cremation was done around 2.30-3 in the morning," her father said, a day after the young woman, grievously injured when she was allegedly gangraped by four upper caste men, gave up the battle for life.  Policemen cremate the body of a 19-year-old Dalit gang rape victim in the early hours of September 30, 2020 in U.P.'s Hathras district. In the moments preceding the cremation, the Dalit teen's brother told PTI, "Police have forcibly taken the body and my father along with them for cremation. When my father reached Hathras (from New Delhi), he was immediately taken (to the crematorium) by the police." The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's office said on Twitter today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Yogi Adityanath and asked that strict action be taken against the culprits. The Chief Minister has constituted a three-member SIT to probe the case and asked that the trial be conducted in a fast track court. The SIT has been asked to submit its report in seven days, an official said. Opposition leaders question timing of funeral Opposition leaders questioned the circumstances and the timing of the funeral. "I was on the phone with the Hathras victim's father when he was informed that his daughter had passed away. I heard him cry out in despair," said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Tagging Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a tweet, she said, "RESIGN. Instead of protecting the victim and her family, your government became complicit in depriving her of every single human right, even in death. You have no moral right to continue as chief minister." BSP chief Mayawati said her party strongly condemns the wrong attitude of the police. "The cremation of Hathras gangrape victim by the Uttar Pradesh Police without handing over the body to the family or without their consent and in their absence in the dead of night is raising doubts and resentment," she said, asking for the Supreme Court to takes cognisance of the case. As the outrage grew, associates of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and its Delhi unit head Himanshu Balmiki alleged that the two have been missing since 10 pm on Tuesday and had been detained by UP Police while they were on their way to Hathras, accompanying the family. There was, however, no immediate confirmation from the police on this matter. Supreme Court refuses to defer civil services prelims The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to defer the civil services preliminary examination scheduled for October 4 but asked the authorities to consider a possible concession for aspirants unable to take their last shot at the exam due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Candidates appear for the Union Public Service Commission civil services preliminary examination at a centre in Madurai. File A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked the authorities to ensure that candidates with admit cards are able to find suitable accommodation near the exam centres/sub-centres. The court said security and health protocols should be strictly followed. It agreed with the UPSC that any further delay in the conduct of the exam would have a "cascading effect" on future ones. The examination is scheduled to be held at 72 centres (2,569 sub-centres) across the country. Crime against SCs/STs saw a rise of 7% and 26% in 2019: NCRB Crime against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) saw an increase of over 7% and 26% respectively in 2019 compared to 2018, according to the annual Crime in India 2019 report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday. A total of 45,935 cases were registered for committing crime against SCs, showing an increase of 7.3% over 2018, when 42,793 such cases were recorded. At 11,829 cases, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against SCs in 2019, followed by 6,794 cases in Rajasthan, and 6,544 cases in Bihar, the report said. In the number of cases of rape of women belonging to SCs, Rajasthan topped the list with 554 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 537, and Madhya Pradesh at 510 cases. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 62,93,194 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 98,581. The Centre on Wednesday announced fresh guidelines for Unlock 5.0, with relaxations allowing for the reopening of movie theatres, swimming pools, entertainment parks, and educational institutions. Here are the highlights: - Movie theatres and multiplexes permitted to open from October 15 with 50% seating; Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for this will be issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- States and Union Territories can open schools and colleges in a staggered manner post-October 15
- B2B exhibitions will be permitted in open areas outside containment zones after October 15
- Swimming pools used by sportspersons can be opened after October 15
- Entertainment parks and similar places will be permitted to open after October 15, with SOPs to be issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- There will no longer be any restrictions on inter-State or intra-State movement of persons, and no special permit will be required for this purpose.
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