Chandigarh, Nov 24 (IANS) A former counsel to the Liberhan Commission Tuesday alleged that the indictment of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the Babri mosque dmolition was “outrightly illegal”.
Hours after the Liberhan panel report was placed in parliament, Anupam Gupta said this had been done “deliberately” to shift the focus away from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, who he said, had played a key role in the events that led to mosque demolition on Dec 6, 1992.

The naming of Vajpayee as one of 68 people culpable for the mosque razing - in the company of Hindutva veterans Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi - without even examining him was “outrightly illegal,” he said.

“A person who was never given the opportunity to explain his position has been indicted. This is a travesty of justice and in my opinion even illegal. I am appalled at this,” Gupta told IANS here.

Gupta also took exception to the manner Advani has been named as one of the 68, who include leading lights of the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, Sant Samaj and Shiv Sena.

He said Advani’s role in the events leading to the mosque razing “is far more than as a member of the herd. He was the most important leader dealing with and leading the Ayodhya movement”.

Gupta termed former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh as the “master of ceremonies at Faizabad” during the demolition of the Babri mosque by Hindu mobs.

Gupta was counsel to the Justice M.S. Liberhan Commission for a few years before falling out with the one-judge commission over some differences.

Known as an activist senior lawyer here, Gupta, who is senior standing counsel to the Chandigarh administration now, had cross-examined several BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and others.

It was during the questioning of Advani that Gupta’s cross examination was found “too offensive” by the BJP leader and Justice Liberhan asked Gupta to tone it down.

“Vajpayee was never summoned or examined by the commission at any stage like other leaders who were cross-examined,” Gupta said.

Both Liberhan and Gupta belong to Chandigarh. Liberhan was earlier a judge in the Punjab and Haryana high court here, where Gupta practices. Gupta had dissociated himself from the commission following procedural differences with Liberhan over the way the inquiry was moving.