Saturday was the day which will go down in history because that day, the Honorable Supreme Court finally gave its judgment on the Babri Masjid/Ram Mandir land dispute case. This is the biggest running dispute in our courts for the past 70 years, and has created a communal divide on Hindu-Muslim lines during the 1980s and 1990s.
In the decision, the entire land of 2.77 acres is being given to the Ram Janmanbhoomi Nyas. For this, a board will be set up by the government in 3 months and as a replacement, the Sunni Waqf Board will be allotted 5 acres of land in Ayodhya where they can build a mosque. Apart from this, there were two more parties – Nirmohi Akhara and the Shia Waqf Board who filed a case saying that the land belongs to them, but the Supreme Court has rejected their claims.
A five-judge Constitution Bench that includes CJI Ranjan Gogoi, upcoming CJI SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Ashok Bhushan was set up on January 8, 2019. They heard the case for over 40 days from August to October, before delivering the unanimous verdict.
The Hindu groups and the community are happy with the decision. Excluding some fringe elements, no one has opposed the decision to allot 5 acres of land for the purpose of building a mosque. Even Iqbal Ansari, the main complainant, is happy with this decision, but Zafaryab Jillani representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the court along with advocate Rajeev Dhawan has shown disagreement on the judgment. Jillani and Dhawan have said they will take further steps, which means they are planning for a review petition, but as a setback, the UP Waqf Board has refused to file a review petition.
Politics On The Judgment
After the judgment came through, Asaduddin Owaisi said that the court has decided on faith, not on facts. But, the reality is that all facts and evidence were in favour of the party which has won today because the second party has not proven that no mandir was destroyed which the former has done while quoting ASI Reports of 1968 and 1996.
I also advise Mr Owaisi, that since he isn’t the sole leader of Muslims in India, he has no right to say that an entire community rejects the land which was given by the court. Everyone knows how much his party respects the Indian Constitution, so I think it’s better that he let the Muslims of the country decide for themselves.
Hindu groups like the Hindu Mahasabha, the BJP, and the RSS have welcomed the judgment and RSS has called for peace and communal harmony after the judgment.
Are Kashi And Mathura Next On The List?
Some people are in fear that after this victory, Hindutva groups will now head for mosques in Kashi and Mathura which were made by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. If we talk about the BJP, some may remember that former PM of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had gone on TV with Rajat Sharma for Aap Ki Adaalat and said that the BJP would not look at reclaiming places of worship in Kashi and Mathura.
Yet, on the contrary, on the same show, Dr Subramaniam Swamy said that three mosques should be ‘given’ (Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura) and the rest 15,000 should be ‘taken back.’ The BJP’s stand is not clear till now.
I personally don’t want politics regarding mosques in Kashi and Mathura. I feel they should be left alone because I don’t want them to face that same faith and horror which Ayodhya did.
Now, the best will be the building of both the temple and the mosque in Ayodhya, with the contribution of all communities. Let us stand together for peace and harmony in India. That we are the country of both Rahim and Ram, should be shown to the world.
One more demand that I believe is valid, that the temple and mosque be built by the people and not by the government’s money, like the Somnath temple was.