NEW DELHI, 14 March — In a setback to hard-line Hindus, India’s Supreme Court yesterday banned a planned religious ceremony in the northern town of Ayodhya, where Hindu fanatics razed a 16th century mosque a decade ago. The militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad or VHP has been spearheading a long and provocative campaign to build a temple on the site of the razed mosque. The VHP will now be barred from holding a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony in Ayodhya tomorrow that had fueled fears of an outbreak of sectarian violence.
“No religious activities of any nature, by anyone... shall be allowed until further orders,” the three-judge court said, adding that a further ruling would be given by an expanded five-judge bench in 10 weeks.
VHP leaders condemned the ruling and refused to rule out proceeding with tomorrow’s ceremony, saying a final decision would be taken today. “We will never abandon our struggle,” VHP Secretary-General Praveen Togadia said, adding that VHP workers would spread across the country to build up grassroots support. “In the end we will build our temple.”
But yesterday’s court proceedings also exposed the chicanery of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which heads the ruling coalition, when the government made a last-minute plea to the court to allow the prayers to go ahead. The court rejected the arguments of Attorney General Soli Sorabjee. “If you allow puja, will you allow namaz (Muslim prayers) tomorrow on that land? Are you not escalating the situation?” Justice B.N. Kripal asked the attorney general. “No religious activity of any kind, whether it is symbolic or actual...shall be permitted or allowed to take place,” the judge told a packed courtroom after a 90-minute hearing.
Coalition allies of the BJP were outraged by the plea of the government’s attorney general, while opposition lawmakers said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had betrayed the country. Vajpayee had said in recent days that his government would abide by the verdict of the court.
“The Supreme Court’s mature verdict is a slap in the government’s face,” said C. Ramachandraiah, a senior leader of the regional Telegu Desam Party, one of Vajpayee’s biggest allies. “We totally oppose the stand taken by the government in the court.”
Several coalition leaders met Vajpayee after the court ruling and blasted him and his party for not consulting them before adopting what they called a “shocking posture” in court. “We should have been consulted. This is not a BJP government, it is a secular (coalition) government,” said Mamta Banerjee, leader of the Trinamul Congress and a former railway minister in Vajpayee’s Cabinet.
“We are grateful to the Supreme Court for this historic verdict. But we have taken strong exception to Sorabjee’s appeal in court. The appeal came as a complete shock... We are not party to it,” she said.
Banerjee said the allies had expressed “bitter feelings of betrayal” to Vajpayee, but had not taken any decision so far about withdrawing their support to his government.
The coalition allies said in a joint statement later in the evening that the court verdict must be strictly complied with. “The coalition is confident that the government will take all necessary steps to see that today’s order of the Supreme Court is implemented in letter and spirit,” a resolution passed by the members said. The coalition partners appealed to all groups to obey the court’s verdict.
Muslim leaders welcomed the ruling as a victory for India’s secular constitution. “Let the tensions be defused and let the nation heave a sigh of relief,” said Yousuf Muchala, an executive member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
In Ayodhya, where some 10,000 police and paramilitary troops have been deployed to maintain law and order, the situation was peaceful.
