Will the ‘Ram Mandir’ be built?
Hardnews Bureau Delhi
The Supreme Court today suggested that issues pertaining to the construction of the proposed Lord Ram temple at what is considered by many as the Ramjanambhoomi should be sorted out through negotiations which should be agreed upon by all the petitioners and respondents. This advice was given to the petitioner: BJP Vice-President Subramanian Swamy. The apex court also made it clear that if the negotiations fail, then the court may intervene and appoint a moderator to resolve all the unresolved issues.
The advice of the SC bench headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar has lend credence to the rumours that with the election of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of UP, the BJP may be on the verge of fulfilling an electoral promise listed in its poll manifesto. In the document, it had stated that it would explore ways to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya. Earlier in February this year, the head of Ramjanambhoomi Nyas (trust) had announced grandly that the date of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhaya would be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon. There are suggestions that the government may not just build a Ram temple, but also a mosque to bury the matter for all times and also settle the anxieties that have surfaced in the minority community after the thumping victory of the BJP. The government and ruling party would also have to spell its position on two more contentious places of worship that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has claimed: Gyanwapi Mosque in Varanasi and Krishnajanambhoomi in Mathura. Both these temples live cheek by jowl with mosques.
The minority community have memories of the large scale riots that swept the state and the country after Hindu mobs brought down the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. According to popular belief, the disputed mosque was built on the birthplace of Lord Ram. The court said that the issue of the construction of the Ram temple was a matter of belief and there was nothing much the court could do about it. It was at this juncture that the SC suggested that the contentious issue should be sorted out through negotiations. Moreover, it offered to appoint a moderator if no progress was indeed made.
This sudden movement on the Ram janambhoomi temple case comes a few weeks after another Supreme Court bench led by Rohinton Nariman had refused to drop charges against LK Advani and 12 others in the Babri Masjid demolition case on technical grounds. The court had kept the options open about reviving the conspiracy charge against them or ordering a joint trial of the cases arising out of two FIRs in the case. The court was also intrigued by the manner in which political heavyweights like Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharati were allowed to let go. This case comes up again for hearing in SC tomorrow.
