Hindu hard-liners demolished 16th century Babri mosque in 1992
DEHLI; (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News- Nov 9th, 2019) The Supreme Court of India on Saturdaya ruled in favor of Hindus holding that a temple would be constructed on Ayodhya--the disputed land from where Hindu hard-liners demolished 16th century Babri Mosque in 1992.
The top court held that demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992 was a violtion of law and ordered the Indian government to provide five-acre alternative land in a suitable, prominent place to Muslims for building a mosque. The court directed the government to acquire land for the mosque, the indian media claimed.
Ayodhya land is decades old legal issue between Muslims and Hindus after 460-year old Barbri mosque was demolished by Hindu hard-liners. Around 320 million Muislims live in India the population of which has reached 1.3 billion people.
According to the reports of Indian media, the Supreme Court gave three-month time to Indian government for launching a scheme under the Ayodhya Act 1993 and set up a trust. The court, they said, also held that the ownership of the site shall remain with the Centre till establishment of trust.
In its verdict, the Indian top court held: " There was a structure underlying the disputed structure and there is adequate material in ASI report to conclude the following: Babri masjid not constructed on vacant land,". The SC also held: " But the ASI report does not say if the structure was demolished for the mosque. It has left unanswered this critical point: whether temple was demolished for mosque."
Supreme Court of Indian Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi remarked: "This court must accept faith and accept belief of worshippers,".
The judgment came at the moment when Pakistann is goinig to inaugurate Kartarpur Corridor--the first historic carridor between Indian and Pakistan. Thousands of Indian Sikh pilgrims have also been invited by Pakistan to take part in inaguration ceremony.
The SC's verdict at this moment is a huge victory for Hindu nationalists under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had promised with his Hindu voters that he would build the temple if he came into power in 2014 elections.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi objected to the timing of the verdict, saying that proper response would be given after going over the judgement in detail.
"This decision could be delayed for few days and I'm deeply sad because it came at a joyous occasion," said Shah Mehmood Qureshi while talkinig to a media organization. He further said: "The issue is very sensitive and should not have been part of this happy day,".
Over 27 years ago in 1992, a mob of Hindu Hard-liners that were estimated to number 200,000 attacked the mosque and reduced it to rubble. The demolition of the mosque caused worst religious riots and left 2,000 people died--majority of them were muslims.
Hindu extremists said they wanted to build a new temple to Hindu god Ram on the site, which they revere as his birthplace. They said that the Muslim invaders destroyed the temple that was built there. Later, the matter was taken to a lower court which ruled that the disputed land should be divided into three parts including two for Hindus and one for Muslims. Hindu Maha Sabha, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Waqt board challenged the verdict of the lower court before the Supreme Court.
The top court judges held proceedings on daily basis in August after medation failed to find a compromise.
India's Home Ministry yesterday asked all states to be on high alert to maintain law and order situation in India. Beside it, the security outside the residences of the five judges on the constitution bench was also beefed up in Delhi, the Indian media said. The security of Chief Justice Gogoi was upgraded to Z-plus.
According to Scroll.in, at least 40,000 police personnel have been deployed in Mumbai while drones and CCTVs would be used to monitor the situation. In Ayodhya, the authorities also increased security and deployed more than 5000 paramilitary forces to prevent any attacks by Hindu activists on Muslims. Previously, the government authorities banned the assembly of more than four people at one place in and around Ayodhya, a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
