On December 6, 1992, it was not just Babri Masjid that was razed to the ground but also the spirit of the Constitution of India. Those of us who have followed the court cases on the dreadful event and the vicious movement led by the Sangh Parivar in the 1990s for Ram Janma Bhumi know that they had least faith in judiciary.
After the demolition, none of the leaders, except Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh, expressed regret over what had happened. All others appeared busy wanting to take 'credit' for the demolition. The hero of course was Kalyan Singh, former UP chief minister, but in the Brahmanical manipulation of the party he found himself out from the dominant position, though there was a time when he felt himself as the fit candidate for the Prime Minister of India.
Each of them have written and spoken a million times over about their role in the demolition of the mosque, and they continue to do so even now, but unfortunately CBI judge SK Yadav was unable to hear their voice, the video and the conspiracy to demolish the mosque.
Newspapers, magazines, videos, public meetings, everything is available. Lal Krishna Advani had actually compared the Ram Janma Bhumi movement to India's independence. This is how they built a narrative around it. If there is lawlessness in the country and fake narratives are flying high in the air, the main culprit of this is Advani, who wanted to fill his prime ministerial ambitions, but failed in his attempt. Even when he claimed that he was the best friend of Vajpayee, there was an internal competition, and Advani always felt that it was he, and not Vajpayee, who built BJP, and therefore he has got bigger right to lead the party.
We all know that Advani's w(rath) yatra left a trail of blood everywhere it passed through. It is a well known fact that when the power of Mandal forces was unleashed the Sangh Parivar decided to take this through the Ram Mandir issue, and a new set of leaders emerged from the OBC communities.
Justice Librahan, who headed the commission to investigate into the Ayodhya demolition, in an interview said categorically that there was a conspiracy and people knew it well that the masjid would be demolished. But strangely the CBI court rejected all the conspiracy theories and all the 'accused' have been declared 'baaizzat bari' (acquitted respectfully).
The fault is not with the CBI judge but in the air around us now. The Supreme Court had already given the verdict paving the way for the construction of the temple. It was clear that Court's were doing the work of the 'executive' and tried to strike a balance but in all this the issue of rule of law or constitutionality got stuck somewhere. It is not the matter of striking a balance for executive but the issue of constitutionality and legality.
We all know that after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the then prime minister Narsimha Rao addressed the nation on the TV and radio and promised to rebuild the mosque. This was a promise by the head of the state, but over the years so much of the narratives have been built that no political party could actually reiterate this viewpoint, and most of them accepted the need not to antagonise the 'Hindus'. So the rule of law and constitutionality was closely associated with 'Hindu' sentiments, and even the courts could not go beyond that.
As the Supreme Court judgement had called the demolition illegal and unconstitutional, there was ample scope to look into from conspiracy angle
As the Supreme Court judgement had called the demolition illegal and unconstitutional, there was ample scope for the lower judiciary to look into this affair from the conspiracy angle and bring before the nation why it happened. We should not forget that, on the same day, somebody filed a case in a Mathura court related to Lord Krishna's birthplace, though the court dismissed it out rightly.
The CBI court judgement is a trend which reflects nothing except state of our judiciary. It is well known how the judiciary listened to the issue of Sudarshan TV and how an important judge, Justice K M Joseph, was removed from the bench for the next hearing. Delhi riot cases are going on even as organisations like Amnesty are compelled to leave India.
So, we in a predicament where Arnab Goswami has freedom of expression but not Anand Telbumbde or Sudha Bharadwaj, who continue to languish in the over crowded jails with courts showing little concern about their conditions. For smaller issues people are facing serious charges, but courts have not been able to contain the high-handed police who are being encouraged by the ruling party leaders to go after opponents.
The Ayodhya verdict did not surprise me. It might have surprised many who were expecting miracles but not those who have seen the trends in the air. There is enough poison in the air and we hope the political climate will change and people will stand up and speak against wrongs. Let us hope that ultimately our institutions and our courts will respond aggressively on these issues and seek accountability. Some of the high courts have done commendable work in this regard.
The demolition of Babri Masjid was a crime against our constitution and its values. These are well-documented facts and we hope one day the truth will be legally accepted. We don’t know how long this battle will be fought, but what is important is that, legally, it has been accepted that a wrong-doing has happened which endangered our national integrity and unity of our people.
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*Human rights defender
The CBI court judgement is a trend which reflects nothing except state of our judiciary. It is well known how the judiciary listened to the issue of Sudarshan TV and how an important judge, Justice K M Joseph, was removed from the bench for the next hearing. Delhi riot cases are going on even as organisations like Amnesty are compelled to leave India.
So, we in a predicament where Arnab Goswami has freedom of expression but not Anand Telbumbde or Sudha Bharadwaj, who continue to languish in the over crowded jails with courts showing little concern about their conditions. For smaller issues people are facing serious charges, but courts have not been able to contain the high-handed police who are being encouraged by the ruling party leaders to go after opponents.
The Ayodhya verdict did not surprise me. It might have surprised many who were expecting miracles but not those who have seen the trends in the air. There is enough poison in the air and we hope the political climate will change and people will stand up and speak against wrongs. Let us hope that ultimately our institutions and our courts will respond aggressively on these issues and seek accountability. Some of the high courts have done commendable work in this regard.
The demolition of Babri Masjid was a crime against our constitution and its values. These are well-documented facts and we hope one day the truth will be legally accepted. We don’t know how long this battle will be fought, but what is important is that, legally, it has been accepted that a wrong-doing has happened which endangered our national integrity and unity of our people.
---
*Human rights defender
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