NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW (TIP): Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi, Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, VHP’s Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Rithambara and six others will stand trial for criminal conspiracy in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case, with a special CBI court on May 31 (Tuesday) framing charges against them.

The trial under the serious criminal conspiracy charge will commence against them from Wednesday, after having been dropped by the trial court in 2001. The verdict was upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2010. However, the Supreme Court ordered restoration of conspiracy charge against them on April 19 after the CBI approached it for the same. The charge of conspiracy is in addition to the existing charges against them for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion for which they are already facing trial.

The Congress, meanwhile, demanded the resignation of Bharti and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold the law and the Constitution. “One of the accused, Uma Bharti is a Union Cabinet Minister. Having been charge sheeted, she must resign. The Prime Minister must come forward and uphold the rule of law and the Constitution,” AICC incharge of communications Randeep Surjewala said. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu claimed the BJP leaders accused in the case were “innocent” and will emerge “unscathed”.

The accused, who spent nearly three hours in the court on Tuesday, had sought discharge for the offence of criminal conspiracy, which the judge rejected.

Before Advani reached the court, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met him at the VVIP guest house in Lucknow. Just before appearing in the court, Uma Bharti said, “I was present in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, which is no secret. Crores of BJP workers, lakhs of officials and thousands of political leaders participated. It was an open movement like the movement against the Emergency. I don’t see any conspiracy.”

All six were granted bail by CBI Special Judge SK Yadav on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each after rejecting the CBI’s opposition to their bail plea.

The court will resume hearing on Wednesday. Claiming that even Muslims now wanted construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya, BJP MP from Unnao Shakshi Maharaj, who was in Lucknow in connection with the case, told The Pioneer, that no power on earth could stop the construction of the temple at Ram Janma bhoomi.

Reacting to the chargesheet, Vinay Katiyar demanded that SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav should also be made an accused in the Babri mosque demolition case because he has given a statement that he had ordered the police to open fire in which 16 people were killed.

“This statement is a confession and action should be taken against him,” he told reporters.

Besides the six, conspiracy charges were also framed against Ramvilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, Dharam Das and Satish Pradhan, all of whom were allegedly present when the mosque was pulled down.

Judge Yadav passed two orders, one for grant of bail and the other for framing of charges. The accused are also facing charges of having made assertions “prejudicial to national integration and injuring or defiling a place of worship”.

The other charges against them include indulging in “deliberate and malicious” acts intended to outrage religious feelings, uttering statements leading to public mischief, rioting and unlawful assembly. The maximum punishment upon conviction after restoration of the conspiracy charge could be up to five years in jail or a fine or both, according to a lawyer who attended the proceedings.The counsel for the accused argued against the framing of charges and pleaded not guilty, saying they had no role in the razing of the mosque.