The Supreme Court on March 23 further postponed the contentious Babri Masjid demolition case which was to be heard on that day. The next time, the apex court will hear this case is on April 6.

The case—Haji Mahboob Ahmad vs Kalyan Singh & Ors—has suddenly shot back to fame, because the apex court wants to see if political luminaries, such as Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, need to be back in the dock as accused. Nine others might also be back as prime accused.

The CBI has appealed against the dropping of conspiracy charges—by the Allahabad High Court—against Advani and others. They were involved in bringing down the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque, by kar sevaks in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. That act had plunged the state and country into communal riots which killed hundreds.

At the court of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Rohinton Fali Nariman, KK Venugopal, advocate for the respondents, sought adjournment, because he was in a different court related to a different case.

—By India Legal Bureau