Term of Liberhan panel extended by another two months

The Centre on Monday extended the term of the Liberhan Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry, which is probing into the destruction of the Ram Janma Bhoomi-Babri Masjid structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, by another two months.

New Delhi, Dec 31 : The Centre on Monday extended the term of the Liberhan Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry, which is probing into the destruction of the Ram Janma Bhoomi-Babri Masjid structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, by another two months.

The Commission has now been asked to submit its report by February 29, 2008.

The Centre has extended the tenure of the Commission on 43 occasions since its appointment. An expenditure of Rs.717.66 lakh has been incurred on the Commission till July 31, 2007, according to the Union Home Ministry.

The Commission was constituted during the regime of late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, by an order of the Home Ministry following the demolition of the Babri mosque on December 6 and the riots in Ayodhya.

In the last 14 years of hearing, the Commission has held over 325 sittings and examined over 100 witnesses, including 14 defence witnesses, 53 Central Government witnesses and 32 Commission witnesses.

The commission had recorded statements of several politicians, bureaucrats and police officials, including former Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Cabinet Ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bajrang Dal leader Vinay Katiyar.

Top bureaucrats and police officials of UP, former District Magistrate R.N. Srivastava and Senior Superintendent of Police D.B. Roy of Ayodhya had also recorded their statements on the demolition.

The destruction of the mosque was followed by communal riots across the country, in which there was a huge loss of life and property.

ANI