Risky 'rewriting'

Ever since the Supreme Court of India ruled in the favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya vis-à-vis Babri Masjid—which was followed by a nationwide celebration spearheaded by none other than the State—similar claims and legal battles have surfaced with considerable frequency.

The 'secular' credentials of India have long been a thorn in the flesh for the incumbent Union government ruled by the BJP-led NDA. The construction and inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya is still counted as one of the most towering 'achievements' of the NDA government at Centre. It has, apparently, emboldened the Hindutva groups and hardcore individuals to seek the same route in similar, hitherto unarticulated claims. It has to be remembered that the Supreme Court, while delivering the Ayodhya verdict, had put the case almost as an exception by maintaining that it cannot be cited as a precedent for similar claims in the future. The caveat, however, has not deterred hardcore Hindutva followers from initiating a bunch of similar legal proceedings throughout the country.