Liberhan Commission Submits Report on Babri Mosque Demolition
The Liberhan Commission, constituted 17 years ago to investigate the 1992 Babri Mosque Demolition in Ayodhya, has submitted its voluminous report to Prime Minister. The report would be further processed by the Home Ministry.
“The report in four volumes with an extensive set of annexure will now be further processed by the Home Ministry,” the PMO said.
The report was submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Retired Justice MS Liberhan in the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram.
When approached by media persons, Chidambaram said that he has not gone through the report and hope that it would be moved forward to the Home Ministry during the course of the day. The contents of the report were not immediately known.
“I am independent today,” Justice Liberhan said after submitting the report but refused to reveal the contents.
“I have submitted the report to the Prime Minister. There are various things that I have reported in my report. You can read it when the report is released.”
Asked why the Commission, which had got 48 extensions, took so much time to prepare its report, Justice Liberhan blamed it on the court stay order, “procuring witness, and non-cooperative attitude” of some people.
Liberhan said that now the government will study the report and take action accordingly and then submit the report and action taken in the Parliament.
Stating that the report is a “privilege” of the Parliament and hence he would not be able to specify if he has recommended any penal punishment, he said, “can’t open my mouth for this. The report can speak when it comes out.”
Asked how he felt after submitting the long awaited report, he said, “I am independent today.”
The commission, formed in the wake of demolition of the historic mosque is the country’s longest serving Commission of Enquiry.
The Commission, mandated to inquire into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri mosque, was to submit its report by March 16, 1993 but sought repeated extensions to complete its probe.
The last three-month extension was given in March this year.
