Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, believed to be the birth place of Rama and setting of the epic Ramayana. It is adjacent to Faizabad city in the central region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hindu worship the place for centuries and it is a well known factor.
What happened that December night in Ayodhya !
By the evening of December 6, 1992, a mob of kar sevaks had set itself upon Muslim homes in localities around the Babri Masjid, a few hours after it was razed to the ground.
Much of the Muslim population in the town had fled a week prior to the demolition. However, at least 17 persons were killed, over 250 homes and shops gutted, damaged or looted in the mayhem that followed in the narrow gullies near the disputed site over the next 24 hours. Going by local accounts, two dozen mosques and over 100 tombs were desecrated and damaged by the mob.
Imagine the audacity of the litigants, who are demanding the court to proceed with the case as per their whims and fancy. If the appellants who had wanted an early hearing during December now want it to be postponed till 2019 and hence they have some sinister motive in mind besides wasting courts time and money. Normally, there are demands for quick dispensation of justice. But, surprisingly, in Ayodhya case, some people want the hearing in this case to be deferred till the next Lok Sabha elections are over.
Strange are the ways. It is good that the Supreme Court decided to hear the case on fixed date. Nobody is committed in resolving this matter. Everyone has vested interest in fanning things as and when needed. If a major issue is resolved, all parties need to find a new issue to keep the communal lines divided. India is the world’s largest democracy and has a secular narrative in government and social structure. It will destroy the very fabric of secularism and religious fanaticism will take lead which has already plagued every corner of the society and the country. There is a saying that “Justice delayed Justice denied”. The dispute needs to be decided one day or the other. We all expect light at the end of the tunnel.
More adjournments, more money for advocate and waste of valuable time can be avoided. Instead of presenting legal, logical and valid arguments, the trio are trying to create apprehensions in the minds of people. Already much time is lost. It is better for the Honourable Supreme Court to insist on day by day hearing from February 8, 2018.
Time has come to settle the dispute and this is a welcome step taken by the Supreme Court. The contentious Ayodhya issue is becoming more knotty as time elapses. There will always be disgruntled parties even a verdict of sorts is given by the court. In hindsight, it is time for the honourable to deliver a landmark decision soon.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
