Liberhan Commission gets 3-month extension

With a three month extension granted to the Liberhan Commission, probing the Babri Masjid demolition case, the report will now be out only after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

With a three month extension granted to the Liberhan Commission, probing the Babri Masjid demolition case, the report will now be out only after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The previous extension was till March 31, leading to speculation that a report could become a hot political issue during the UP polls. Notifying the last extension, the government had directed the Commission to submit its report on or before March 31, indicating that it would provide additional manpower if needed.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had told Parliament during last year’s monsoon session that the Commission would complete its job by 2006-end. The Commission, set up in December 1992, has examined top leaders from across the political spectrum including Narasimha Rao, who was prime minister when the structure was demolished, Kalyan Singh, chief minister of UP at the time of the demolition, and top BJP leaders like former deputy prime minister L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati. It completed the deposition of the last witness, Kalyan Singh, in June last year. The Commission has examined over 100 witnesses from the Centre, state and the commission itself. When it was set up, the Commission headed by former Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, was given three months to finalise its report.