Reviving memories of Babri demolition

Nearly twenty five years have passed since the infamous Babri Masjid demolition and not even a single person has been punished in the incident that shook the world.

While the tragedy in which the judiciary miserably failed to provide justice, sinks into oblivion, the Supreme Court is all set to recover those memories. The apex court is considering reviving the criminal conspiracy charges against thirteen prominent leaders including L K Advani, Uma Bharti, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Kalyan Singh, Giriraj Kishore and others questioning the decision of a lower court to drop the charges against them. The apex court said that their discharge on technical grounds was inappropriate. Acquitting the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani of conspiracy charges in Lucknow where one of the two cases was registered in connection with Babri Masjid destruction, had drawn widespread criticisms. Even the common man could comprehend that the demolition which shattered the secular credentials of the country was the result of a clear-cut conspiracy. Special judge S K Shukla dropping the conspiracy charges against the criminals citing technical reasons put at stake the credibility of judicial system of the country. When the court verdict triggered harsh uproar, the CBI who probed the case approached the High Court and the Supreme Court. The CBI in February 2011 moved the apex court saying that the demolition of the Babri Masjid ‘could well be a concerted conspiracy’.

The UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh was in power then. The observation of the Supreme Court division bench that examined the different aspects of the case is relevant. The court noted that ‘there is something very peculiar going on in this case’; the people are aware of that aspect. It was the despicable attempt to save all those involved in the demolition accomplished by the right wing supporters with the blessings of those at the helm of Sangh Parivar. When the final verdict is likely to be heard on March 22, the SC is expected to allow the filing of charge sheets against the thirteen accused in the case. The Babri Masjid incident continues to shake the conscience of the people of India because the judiciary in our democratic secular system bows down even before the regressive forces. That the judicial system fails to prevent the nation going off track, is yet another lesson learnt. Not only was anyone involved in the 1992 incident tracked down by the law and order system but it wasn’t even willing to present the good intentions of getting the culprits punished, before the citizens. Anybody could understand the extent of defects in the judiciary’s sense of justice that acquitted the leaders citing technical grounds.

The fact that it took ten years to appeal against the verdict is pathetic. The wrong message that those with power and influence have loopholes to escape, however grave the crime is posing threats to the nation’s unity and integration, is being continuously passed on. The first case registered by the Ayodhya police shortly after the demolition was against ‘lakhs of unknown Kar sevaks’. The police is well aware of the hands behind the destruction of the mosque. The slogans that reverberated then wasn’t of unknown persons. Yet the failure to capture the culprits and prove that law and order still exists, adds to the tragedy. If the Supreme Court decides to revive the conspiracy charges, it could at least create an impression that a mistake on the part of the lower court is rectified. All said and done, even the people is least likely to anticipate that leaders including Advani would be imprisoned for destroying the mosque.