Justice delayed is justice denied: UP CM

A day after the Supreme Court decided against urgent hearings in the Ram Janmahoomi-Babri Masjid case, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said justice delayed can be justice denied.

"The matter pertaining to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is before the Supreme Court. Justice delivered timely is considered to be the best justice. Delay in justice sometimes amounts to injustice," he said on Tuesday in a tweet in Hindi. At the same time, the tweet appealed to the seers demanding early construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya to exercise patience. He said they should be partners in all “meaningful efforts” towards evolving a solution to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi issue. This, he tweeted, will establish peace and amity in the country and also strengthen respect towards all constitutional bodies.

“For resolving the case promptly, it would have been better if a quick hearing of the matter was held by the court for the sake of peace and brotherhood in the country," he said in another remark to the media. "This possibility, however, does not seem likely as of now," he said, replying to a query on the sidelines of an event here.

He said the matter is in the apex court but for peace and brotherhood and for honouring the beliefs of a large number of people, all alternatives need to be explored. "The counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government had also appealed to the Supreme Court for a speedy trial in the matter," he said.

The apex court on Monday said the course of hearings in the Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid land dispute will be decided in the first week of January by an appropriate bench. This has intensified demands by the RSS and its affiliated organisation that the government should bring a law allowing construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. Fourteen appeals have been filed against a high court judgment that the 2.77 acres of land be partitioned equally among three parties – the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.