Congress mouthpiece NH deletes op-ed likening SC to 'Pakistan SC'

After facing severe backlash for its controversial opinion piece 'Why the Ayodhya verdict reminds us of the Supreme Court of Pakistan', Congress-backed National Herald, on Sunday, deleted the article. This article was slammed raised by Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in his Sunday Debate. Shortly after, BJP held a press conference slamming the article which compared the Ayodhya verdict to Pakistan's Supreme Court backing Pak Governor General Ghulam Muhammad dismissing the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in 1954.

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

'India has legally done what VHP-BJP wanted'

The article which was authored by Amnesty International India's Executive director Aakar Patel opined that the 'Supreme Court of India has ruled exactly what Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP wanted'. He had explained that Pak Governor General Ghulam Muhammad had unlawfully dismissed the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in1954 with the backing of the Pakistan Supreme Court which had justified his illegal action. Correlating that with the Ayodhya verdict, Patel 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.

WATCH | Supreme, not infallible: Owaisi unhappy with SC's Ayodhya verdict

Ayodhya verdict's repercussions?

He had continued by painting 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 hoped that the verdict's consequences were not going to be as damaging to us as Pakistan. This article has now been deleted by the National Herald, but not issued any apology. 

READ | Ayodhya verdict proves strength of India's Constitution: Yogi

National Herald deletes both articles

The publication had also printed another article titled 'Why a devout Hindu will never pray at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya', which was then renamed ' Strangely, Bal Thackeray wanted a school or a hospital at the disputed site in Ayodhya'. The publication has now deleted that article too after facing severe backlash. It issued an apology stating 'We apologise if the article ‘Why a devout Hindu...’ hurt anyone or any group’s sentiments.'

READ | BJP slams 'Gandhi family jewel' National Herald's 'Pak SC' comparison

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