New Delhi: The Ayodhya demolition case, from which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani was "rescued" by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), should be "put back on the rails" and the inquiry into Tehelka expose on corruption in Defence deals during National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rule should be proceeded with transparency, senior Congress leader and Union Minister Kapil Sibal today (May 30, 2004) said.

The eminent lawyer, who played an important role in the Congress campaign during the recent elections as party spokesman, alleged that Ayodhya demolition case trial has been "derailed" with CBI dropping Advani's name from the list of accused and asserted that it should be "put back on rails" by proceeding against all those originally booked.

"We believe that Advani was politically through the CBI taken out of the case and there must be a redressal to that. All those booked earlier should be booked now," Sibal, who holds the Science and Technology portfolio, said.

"The law was taking its course in the Ayodhya case and somebody diverted the legal process, that should be back on track," he said when asked did the Congress feel that all those let off in the Ayodhya case be booked again.

Sibal also talked about taking to logical conclusion the pending inquiries into Tehelka expose on Defence deals as well as the controversial AK-47 deal.

On Tehelka case, he said till date no FIR had been lodged though these were criminal offences. Favouring continuance of the Tehelka Commission, he said, "This inquiry must go on transparently without protecting anybody."

Without naming then Defence Minister George Fernandes who faced boycott by the Opposition led by Congress in Parliament over the issue, Sibal said, "Priority must be that the process of law must take its course and whosoever is accused must be brought to book."

The Congress leader, who had raised the controversy over alleged purchase of "inferior" self-loading AK-47 rifles by the Home Ministry for security personnel from a Bulgarian firm, reiterated that the entire deal reached during the tenure of Advani as Home Minister "must be put through the scanner".

On his assertions over Ayodhya case, he said whether the charges against the then Deputy Prime Minister were dropped due to political considerations or not was an allegation which should be looked into by the concerned Minister now.

"If the allegations were not correct the case would fall through, but if they are true, then action should be taken," he added.