Apex court accepts Centre’s revised offer of 400 sq mt land for Guru Ravidas temple
NEW DELHI: Over two months after the Guru Ravidas temple in Delhi’s Tughlaqabad forest area was demolished by the DDA following the apex court order, the Supreme Court Monday accepted the Centre’s revised offer of 400 square metre land at the site for re-construction of the temple.
The temple was demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) following the court’s August 9 direction which had said, “Let the premises be vacated by tomorrow and structure be removed by the DDA with the help of the police”.
The demolition had led to massive outcry and protests in the national capital and other parts of the country.
A bench of justices Arun Mishra and S Ravindra Bhat was Monday told by Attorney General K K Venugopal that the Centre has revised its offer from 200 sq mt area for the temple to 400 sq mt keeping in view the faith and sentiments of the devotees.
“It is for the sentiments and faith of the devotees that we have revised it to 400 square metre,” Venugopal told the bench.
When the bench asked Venugopal as to who would manage the construction of temple, the Attorney General said the Centre would constitute a committee for this.
The top court directed the Centre to constitute within six weeks the committee for construction of the temple in the area earmarked. It also made it clear that nobody would carry out any commercial activity in the area in and around the place earmarked for the temple.
The bench directed that persons, who were arrested during the agitations following the demolition of the temple, be released on furnishing of personal bond and said, “Let there be peace as the case has closed”.
The top court said that the released persons will also have to furnish an undertaking to maintain good conduct.
The Centre had told the apex court last Friday that it was willing to hand over 200 sq mt land to devotees for construction of Guru Ravidas temple in South Delhi but with certain conditions.
Venugopal earlier said he had held consultations with all the parties, including devotees and government officials, and Centre has agreed to give the same piece of land considering the sensitivity and faith of devotees for the site.
During the hearing on Monday, the Attorney General told the bench that criminal prosecution has been launched against the person who was running the shrine earlier.
When Venugopal said that the area in question is a “notified forest area”, one of the lawyers appearing in the matter said it might be de-notified as forest area. The bench asked Venugopal as to what was the harm if some registered society would be handed over the land for construction of temple there.