Judge who gave Babri verdict is appointed Up-lokayukta

Retired judge Surendra Kumar Yadav, who gave the verdict in the high-profile Babri mosque demolition case last year, took oath as an 'up-lokayukta in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

As a judge of special Central Bureau of Investigation court, Yadav had on September 30, 2020 acquitted all the 32 accused, including Bharatiya Janata Party veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, in the case of demolition of Babri mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

"Yadav was appointed as third 'up-lokayukta' by the Governor on April 6. On Monday, Yadav was administered oath by Lokayukta Sanjay Mishra in the presence of other senior officers," an official statement said here.

The anti-corruption watchdog comprises the Lokayukta and three 'up-lokayuktas'.

The other two up-lokayuktas are Shambu Singh Yadav, who was appointed on August 4, 2016, and Dinesh Kumar Singh, who was appointed on June 6, 2020.

The tenure of an 'up-lokayukta' is eight years.

The Lokayukta is from a non-political background and functions as a statutory authority probing cases primarily related to corruption, government mismanagement, or abuse of power by public servants or ministers.