It’s now or never for temple soldiers

MARCHING AHEAD VHP has declared the construction will start from Oct 18, 2018 — a date that will fall amid the assembly poll campaigns in Bjpruled MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan

Kar sevaks stand on top of the Babri Masjid. NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: It’s now or never for proponents of the Ram temple. A sevendecade-long legal battle over the disputed structure has reached a crucial point with the Supreme Court starting hearings on Tuesday.

The newly elected mayor of Ayodhya, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and the Prime Minister are all from the BJP, which enjoys comfortable majorities in the state assembly and the lower House of Parliament . And it is all coming together on the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque, an event that left a deep, indelible impression on India’s sociopolitical landscape. “After so many years’ efforts, after so many sacrifices, today it feels like it is near,” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on November 24, giving voice to swelling hopes in the Sangh Parivar, a family of Groups of Hindu priests and Muslim clerics clash-- the first recorded incident of violence over the holy site Mahant Raghubir Das, a Hindu priest, files the first court case and seeks permission to build a canopy on the Ramchabutra (a raised platform) outside the mosque. Faizabad district court rejects his plea Hindu nationalist organisations helmed by the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP.

“If not now, then when? The BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the state, and the commitment of both PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath to the cause is indisputable. They will facilitate construction of the temple,” said Ram Vilas Vedanti, member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a party in the case before the Supreme Court. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an RSS affiliate, has declared that the construction will start from October 18, 2018 — a date that will fall in the middle of the assembly poll campaigns in Bjpruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and about six months ahead of scheduled parliamentary elections. Muchhyped mediation efforts by individuals such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have also contributed to heightened anticipation.

Sanjay Kumar, director of Delhi-based think tank Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, agrees the “momentum” to An idol of Ram Lalla appears inside the mosque, allegedly planted by three Hindu men in the dark of a December night. Hindus offer prayers. Both sides file suits; the government declares the area as disputed and locks gates Two Hindu priests file suits before the Faizabad court seeking permission to offer prayers to Ram idols in the janamsthan (birthplace of Ram). While the inner courtyard remains locked, prayers are allowed. The Nirmohi Akhara files a third suit seeking possession of the site and claiming to be the custodians of

Ram Janmabhoomi build the temple has picked up. “But my sense is the BJP is trying to be neutral. When you are in power, you have to play a responsible role,” says Kumar, adding that it’s the UP CM who looks more aggressive.

The 67 acres of land at the disputed site have been with the Centre since 1993. A year after the acquisition, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s acquisition and directed status quo be maintained. Therefore, until the title dispute is settled, the government can’t hand over the land to anyone or allow any construction activity.

And, there are only three ways to untie the knot: court verdict, out-of-court settlement or a new law.

First, the legal route. In 2010, the Allahabad HC trifurcated the disputed 2.77 acres among three stakeholders — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, a mythical figure of the Hindu god who was made a litigant by the high court, and who is currently represented by senior VHP man Triloki Nath Pandey .The decision was stayed by the top court, which is hearing appeals against the judgment.

“We are sure the SC will rule in our favour to allow the construction of the temple. But the issue can’t be settled legally. Whoever wins or loses in the court, the fallout will be outside,” said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

Then, there is the idea of a negotiated settlement that is gathering steam. In April, the Supreme Court suggested an amicable settlement, with then chief justice JS Khehar offering to act as a mediator. Ravi Shankar volunteered soon after, and met Adityanath in Lucknow and Bhagwat in Nagpur. But the Sangh Parivar has publicly dissociated itself from the exercise.

A section of Muslims, primarily Shias, are inclined to initiate a dialogue for an amicable out of court settlement, but the Sunni Waqf Board has stuck to its stand of backing a court decision. Finally, there’s the prospect of a resolution through legislation, but this is easier said than done. Legal experts believe the government can- The Sunni Central Board of Waqf files a case against the placing of idols in the mosque, challenges claims that the building and surrounding land were once a graveyard

SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY

Lawyer Umesh Chandra Pandey appeals before district and sessions judge that the Ram Janmabhoomi gates be unlocked on the grounds that the Faizabad district administration, and not a court, had ordered its closure. Court orders the government to open the Ram Janmabhoomi for “darshan and pooja”

The parliamentarian is convinced that a Ram Mandir will be constructed in Ayodhya by October 2018 and the ‘forthcoming Diwali would be celebrated’ at the temple.

The basis for his assertion are ‘evidences’ that he cites to claim the temple existed, these include references from excavations carried out in 2002-03 that found inscriptions describing a temple. Many historians say the evidence doesn’t prove a temple ever existed. But Swamy has already moved the Supreme Court, seeking permission to rebuild the temple. Outside court, he is drumming up support and thundering that ‘the mosque can be set up elsewhere’,” he has often said.

SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

In October, the Art of Living founder offered to mediate but did not elicit an enthusiastic response . The RSS distanced itself. Its affiliate, the VHP pointed out similar efforts in the past did not yield results. BJP president

Lal Krishna Advani goes on a Somnath-to-ayodhya rath yatra to

“educate people” about the movement to build a temple at the disputed site. Thousands of Kar sevaks (volunteers) gather in Ayodhya. Babri Masjid is partially damaged and 30 are killed in police firing Former BJP MP and Hindu ideologue Ram Vilas Vedanti rejected the offer, arguing Sri Sri did not qualify to mediate on an issue he was never associated with. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board too expressed reservations, opting to settle for court’s arbitration.

WASEEM RIZVI

The UP Shia Waqf Board jumped into the dispute on August 8 with an affidavit before the Supreme Court claiming the mosque was its property. The move came 71 years after it lost the legal battle to the Sunni Waqf Board in a trial court in Faizabad.

Board chairman Waseem Rizvi is facing the heat for alleged anomalies in waqf properties, which number around 5,000 in the state. A protégé of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, Rizvi was last elected chairman of the board for the fourth consecutive term in May 2015.

Rizvi has held several meetings with Hindu leaders but has left out the Sunni Waqf Board, which he says has no claim over the property. The Shia body proposes to shift the mosque and give the disputed land for the construction of Ram Temple.