Lucknow: A Special CBI Court Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav pronounced verdict on Babri Masjid demolition on Wednesday of his last working day of his tenure. He observed that “The conspiracy was not preplanned”, as he read out the verdict, acquitting all 32 accused, including LK Advani and MM Joshi, in the 28 year old Babri Masjid demolition case.

Justice Surendra Kumar Yadav started his judicial career as Additional Munsif Judge while being posted in Faizabad between June 1990 and May 1993 coinciding with the period when the Ram Temple moment was at its peak and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. In August 2015, Justice Yadav was appointed as Additional District Judge, Ayodhya Prakaran, in Lucknow, at a time when case was lying dormant for five years, before the Supreme Court put it on the fast track in April 2017.

The Apex Court invoked its inherent power under Article 142 of the constitution and directed the sessions court to complete the trail and deliver its judgement within two years. The SC also transferred the trail from the Court of the Special Judicial Magistrate of Rae Barely to the Court of Additional Sessions Judge here, to be heard together.

The Allahabad High Court appointed Justice Surendra Kumar Yadav as the District and Sessions Judge of Lucknow in 2018, and asked him to continue to preside over the Babri Masjid demolition case. Justice Surendra Kumar Yadav had been appointed District and Sessions Judge of Badaun six months ago but the order was cancelled on the ground that the SC had earlier ruled that the Judge conducting the Ayodhya trail would not be transferred till the trail was complete.

Despite elevation to the post of District Judge, justice Yadav had been functioning as Additional District Judge. He had then pleaded in the Apex Court that he enjoyed an unblemished career of 28 years but was now approaching superannuation. He said his batchmates and juniors had been appointed as District Judges.

He moved the Apex Court complaining that the Babri Masjid case was stalling his promotion and requested to be given the posting he was naturally entitle to after the promotion order. But, time was running out for Justice Yadav, who was to retire on September 30^th, 2019. In July 2019, he sought more time to conclude the case.

Eventually, on September 13^th 2019, he got service extension for a year. And in August 2020, a bench of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Naveen Sinha and Indira Benerjee granted one month time till September 30^th, 2020, to complete the proceedings including delivery of the Judgement.