I haven't indicted Atal: Liberhan

NEW DELHI: Justice M S Liberhan on Tuesday said his report on circumstances leading to the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, did not indict former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his alleged “pseudo-moderate ” role as a top BJP leader during the Ayodhya movement.

After bracketing Vajpayee with L K Advani and M M Joshi as “pseudo-moderates” , the commission in its report said it “has no hesitation in condemning these pseudomoderates for their sins of omission” . Asked how he could have indicted Vajpayee, who was never summoned to appear before the commission, in breach of Section 8B of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, Justice Liberhan told TOI from Chandigarh that he never indicted the former PM.

“Please read the report in its context and show me a single reference to Vajpayee which can be construed as an indictment,” Justice Liberhan said, pleading that no irresponsible reference be manufactured from his report.

When it was pointed out that Section 8B prohibited indictment in absentia, Justice Liberhan said, “Those who read a portion of my report as an indictment of Vajpayee are definitely misconstruing the report and not reading it in context. I am well aware of the requirements of Section 8B of the Act.” On page 942 of the report, the commission said, “It cannot be assumed even for a moment that L K Advani, A B Vajpayee or M M Joshi did not know the designs of Sangh Parivar... These people, who may be called pseudo-moderates , could not have defied the mandate of the Sangh Parivar, and more specifically the diktat of the RSS, without having bowed out of public life as leaders of BJP.”

The report added, “These leaders cannot, however, be given the benefit of doubt and exonerated of culpability... These leaders have violated the trust of the people and have allowed their actions to be dictated not by the voters but by a small group of individuals who have used them to implement agendas unsanctioned by the will of the common people. There can be no greater betrayal or crime in a democracy and this commission has no hesitation in condemning these pseudomoderates for their sins of omission.”