A special Indian court acquitted all 32 people, including the former deputy prime minister LK Advani, three leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a sitting BJP politician, accused of inciting the violence in 1992 that led to a 16th century Babri mosque in the city of Ayodhya being torn down by an armed Hindu nationalist mob. A large group of Hindu activists belonging to the Vishva Hindu Parishad and affiliated organizations stormed the mosque, igniting riots all over the Indian subcontinent, killing around 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.
The mosque was martyred in broad daylight, the world saw that desecrated the house of God. The world also saw under whose patronage the mosque was martyred and who was in power in UP. A special court delivered the much-awaited judgment on 30-09-2020, in its verdict the judge said the demolition was not pre-planned and citing that there was no concrete proof, therefore all accused were acquitted for lack of evidence. Muslims described the judgment as yet another betrayal by the judiciary. Nevertheless, the recent verdict of special court is shocking because the verdict affirms India’s shift to the extreme right.
On November 9, 2019, a five-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, while delivering its judgment on the Babri Masjid and Ram Janmabhoomi property rights, admitted that the Babri Masjid was not built by demolishing any temple. It was declared a criminal act to demolish it and the people who carried it out were also found guilty. The people who demolished the mosque under government auspices all wanted their politics, power and Hindu-Muslim riots. It is a shame for the Indian government and judiciary to release all such terrorists with honor.
The decision is highly regrettable and completely contrary to the requirements of justice. The way in which the explicit evidence has been ignored and the shameful and criminal acts of the accused have been covered up is hardly to be found. This is a decision in which neither justice has been done nor justice is seen anywhere. The judgment has deepened the question mark over the independence of the Indian judiciary, which has brought the country into disrepute and mockery internationally. The court decision will lead to frustration among minorities and a reduction in the number of courts, leading to the practice of resolving many disputes through coercion and violence, rather than through peaceful means. On December 16 1992 millions of people gathered, with fascist forces, political leaders making provocative speeches and chanting slogans, and then tearing down the five hundred year-old mosque. International media also produced videos and photos, which are still on record today; even so, the courts release the culprits. Many BJP leaders have openly claimed that they were involved in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. If the court gives such a unilateral decision, we can say that it has been compromised. The world is also shocked because no one has been punished for the demolition of the 16th century heritage mosque built by the Mughal emperor Babar.
The Lucknow court’s unilateral decision has hurt all Muslims around the world. In today’s India, where Muslims are being lynched on suspicion of using beef, where Muslims are only asked to prove citizenship, and where Kashmiris are brutally murdered, living in a country for Muslims no more than a torment. That is why Muslims in India are feeling lonely and insecure because Muslims now believe that even court decisions only promote and protect the Hindutva agenda. From the OIC platform, all Muslims around the world should speak out against the Lucknow court’s verdict. And all the Muslim countries of the world should also unite and raise their voices against this one-sided decision in the UNO and other forums.
