Lucknow: The special/full Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court hearing the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suits today (Jan 21, 2004) dismissed contempt petitions against Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal and the printer and publisher of a Hindi daily for publishing their statements on Ram temple construction despite a court bar on it.

The division bench comprising Justice Bhanwar Singh, Justice S R Alam and Justice Khemkaran, while dismissing the petitions filed by one Haji Mehboob Ahmed, observed that the statements in question were "mere suggestions and nothing else".

The court also dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Sureshwar Prasad Sinha seeking deeper excavation around 100 kms of the disputed site at Ayodhya to gain knowledge about the culture of the people living there in ancient times.

The Bench, however, allowed impleadment of Mahant Suresh Das the disciple of (late) Paramhans Ramachandra Das in the latter's place and permitted consequential amendment.