Government’s stand sought on plea for resolving Ayodhya tangle

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court Friday sought the government’s stand on a plea for reviving a 1996 order of the Allahabad High Court to help Hindu pilgrims visit the make-shift Ram temple at Ayodhya, built at the site of the demolished Babri mosque.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice V.S. Sirpurkar and Justice Deepak Verma issued the notices to the central and the Utar Pradesh governments, seeking their stand within six weeks on a lawsuit by former union minister Subramanian Swamy, who also sought an early resolution of the Ayodhya dispute.

Pursuing his lawsuit, filed early last year and pending since then in the apex court, Swamy pleaded to the court to allow Hindu pilgrims to have “darshan” of the idol of Lord Ram from close quarters.

“It’s a question of public order and morality,” pleaded Swamy, adding, “I am making the submission on behalf of the Hindu devotees.”

“The devotees are not allowed to take even a pen” with them (for security reasons), said Swamy, adding “they cannot even perform archana (worship) and are allowed to witness the Ram Lala from a distance.”

Swamy’s submission led the bench to ask him why he should not move the Allahabad High Court for relief, and Swamy replied that his plea has already been accepted by the apex court.

Swamy recalled that Allahabad High Court had in 1996 given an order to facilitate Hindu pilgrims visiting Lord Ram’s makeshift temple, which was built on the site of the Babri mosque demolished in 1992 by Hindu groups.

The apex court had on May 10, 1996, suspended the high court’s order, directing against any change or alteration at the disputed site, he added.

Swamy, in his application pointed out that while Hindu groups have approached the apex court seeking its direction to facilitate pilgrimage by Hindus to the make-shift temple and building of a proper temple, Muslim groups have approached it for permission to offer annual prayers at the site.

Maintaining that the apex court’s 1996 order had frustrated the aspirations of both the Hindu and Muslim groups, Swamy, in his application, said: “The time has come for the apex court to put an end to this era of indecision by taking certain positive and healing steps.”

He said probably owing to the failure of the two rival groups of petitioners in vigorously pursuing the matter, the apex court too has not passed any order in favour of either group.

Swamy sought to become a party in the lawsuit on Ayodhya saying he would be able to pursue the matter in the court at greater speed.

He also contended that during a recent visit he found Hindu pilgrims being put through “unnecessary security checks” during their visit to the makeshift temple at Ayodhya. These checks impinge upon their right to worship, he said.