Congress mouthpiece National Herald likens Ayodhya verdict to 'Pak SC'

A day after the Supreme Court's unanimous verdict on the Ayodhya dispute, Congress-backed National Herald on Sunday, published a controversial opinion piece by Amnesty International India's Executive director Aakar Patel titled 'Why the Ayodhya verdict reminds us of the Supreme Court of Pakistan'. Patel has opined that the 'Supreme Court of India has ruled exactly what Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP wanted'. He has also compared the Ayodhya verdict to Pakistan's Supreme Court backing Pak Governor General Ghulam Muhammad dismissing the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in 1954.

Ayodhya verdict compared to Pak SC

"In 1954, he (Ghulam) unlawfully dismissed the Pakistan Constituent Assembly which was taking much longer than India to frame its constitution. Those who were dismissed went to court where it was determined that Ghulam Muhammad’s actions were unlawful," writes Patel. He then goes on to explain how the Pakistan Supreme Court backed Muhammad, justifying his illegal action with its judgment. Patel opined that the court had felt that 'since there was an emergency, he had to be allowed to do whatever he wanted'.

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'India has legally done what VHP-BJP wanted'

Correlating that with the Ayodhya verdict, Patel expressed his lack of clarity as to why the 'court felt it essential to hand over the entire land to the temple' while being unsure of Babri Masjid's construction over a demolished structure. He added that while the Supreme Court did slam the demolition of the Mosque, it handed it over to those who were responsible for the demolition, echoing AIMIM's chief Owaisi's opinion. He goes on to pronounce that India has legally done what Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP were demanding.

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Ayodhya verdict's repercussions?

He then paints a bleak picture for India, stating that as the Indian and Pakistan judicial system followed precedence, India might follow Pakistan's footsteps after its Ghulam Muhammad ruling. Comparing how Pakistani dictators Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Zia ul Haq, and General Musharraf's actions were validated by Pakistan's courts, he opined that the long-term repercussions of the Ayodhya judgment will unfold soon. He added, " I hope consequences are not going to be as damaging to us as they were to Pakistan".

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Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict

Pronouncing the landmark judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case, the Supreme Court on Saturday, delivered a unanimous judgment in the title suit of the disputed area awarding it to the Hindu parties for the construction of a temple. It also directed the Centre to come up with a scheme within three months to set up a trust which will hand over the outer courtyard and inner courtyard of the site for construction of a temple. Apart from this, the SC stated that an alternate land of 5 acres is to be allotted to Muslims for the liberty of constructing a mosque, either by the central govt or the State govt, in a suitable and prominent place in Ayodhya. CJI Ranjan Gogoi, while delivering the unanimous judgment, dismissed the claims of the Sunni Central Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara. He also termed that the three-way division of the disputed land by the Allahabad HC in its 2010 verdict is wrong.

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