New Delhi: Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday agreed to face conspiracy charges in the Babri Masjid demolition case while the Supreme Court reserved its judgment.

Hearing a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to revive the conspiracy case against the veteran leaders including Union Minister Uma Bharathi, the Apex Court said that it was ready for day-to-day hearing in the case in Lucknow and that case should be wrapped in two years. However, the veteran leader-Advani and Joshi want the trial in Raebareli.

Meanwhile Advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the BJP leaders said that his clients were ready to face conspiracy charges if the CBI can adduce evidences against them in Raebareli. The CBI had booked several BJP leaders including Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh and Vinay Katiyar but they were freed by a court in Raebareli of conspiracy charges. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court confirmed this decision.

On March 6, the apex court had decided to examine the appeal against dropping of conspiracy charge against the accused including Advani, Joshi and Uma Bharti in the case related to demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. The top court had also came up with an option of ordering a joint trial of cases arising out of the two FIRs lodged in the wake of the demolition of the disputed structure.

However, the clubbing of two FIRs was opposed by the counsel for the accused on the ground that there were different sets of persons named as accused in the two cases, the trial of which were at an advanced stage at two different places.

Altogether, 13 persons including Advani, Joshi and Bharti were discharged of conspiracy charge in the case, the trial of which is being held at a special court in Raebareli. The second set of case was against unknown ‘karsevaks’ who were in and around the disputed structure and the trial was being held at a court in Lucknow.

The appeals were filed by the CBI against dropping of conspiracy charges against Advani, Joshi and 19 others for demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992. “In the cases like this, we have to exercise our inherent power and do justice. It is a question of evasion of law against evasion of justice,” the court said.

Lawyer appearing told SC that 195 witnesses had already been examined in Lucknow trial court and approximately 300 more to be examined. The agency told the apex court that Advani and others hadn’t faced conspiracy charges based on technical reasons.