I, Babri Masjid, was built in 1528...

On Saturday I received calls from friends eliciting my opinion on the Supreme Courts judgment awarding the disputed site where the Babri Masjid had stood in Ayodhya until December 6 1992 for building a Ram temple I narrated to each the story about a nawab in Lucknow who was having a shave when a messenger rushed in to announce the news about the death of Indias former Viceroy Lord Linlithgow The nawab contemplated for a few minutes before muttering Angrez hain kuchch bhi kar sakte hain They are English they can do anythingThis apocryphal story provides a glimpse into the psyche of subjects They think the rulers will is insurmountable Death must take his permission Even the sea can be made to part as it did for Moses Who is the hunter who the houndedThe Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh spearheaded the movement to appropriate the Babri Masjid site which its leaders claimed was precisely the spot where Lord Ram was born It is they who are in power today Believing that the rulers will is insuperable nobody had expected the title to the disputed site to be awarded to the Muslim litigants Yet there was a lingering hope of the judiciary pronouncing a judgment that could have enabled both sides to claim victoryThe sea then parted ndash and howThere was relief for Mughal emperor Babur and his general Mir Baqi who had been accused of demolishing a temple to build the Babri Masjid This had been the foundation of the Sanghs Ram Janmabhoomi movement which spawned a new category of citizens called Babur ki aulaad or Baburs children who were portrayed as implacably opposed to Hindus The relief for Babur came because of the court ruling that even though his mosque had been built over a preexisting structure dating to the 12th century and was perhaps of a Hindu religious origin the reason for its destruction could not be ascertained Even its remnants were not used for constructing the Babri MasjidFrom this perspective the Ram Janmabhoomi movement did involve to a great degree the fictionalisation of history for which the Sangh has a penchant Yet it has been awarded the disputed site by the Supreme Court which described the demolition of the Babri Masjid as a serious violation of the rule of law The Supreme Court did this because of a preponderance of probabilities establishing that Hindus had been worshipping there far longer than Muslims The phrase preponderance of probabilities which is the standard of evidence in civil disputes does not suggest certainty on this score beyond a reasonable doubt By contrast the demolition of the Babri Masjid is beyond doubtCouldnt the sea have parted for allThe Supreme Court invoked Art 142 which empowers it to pass orders for doing complete justice in any cause to grant five acres of land to Muslims as repatriation for the demolition Could it have invoked Art 142 to freeze construction of a temple or mosque on the 1500 square yards on which the Babri Masjid had stood Could it have declared that neither Muslim nor Hindu litigants had established their title to the disputed site and let the government decide on the fate of the disputed site Even then the Modi government would have most likely incorporated the disputed site in its building plan for the temple but at least the action would not have acquired legitimacy as it has now because of the Supreme Court Remember the Sanghs footsoldiers egged on by their leaders demolished the mosqueThe plan to build the temple in Ayodhya will soon unfold over the months Perhaps it will be inaugurated in 2025 which will mark the 100th year of the formation of the RSS As for the Muslims the predominant feeling among them is to turn down the five acres granted to them by the Supreme Court Another school of thought says the community should build a hospital on the five acres to symbolise their opposition to the Sanghs politics of polarisationA third school of thought says the mosque should be built on the five acres in Ayodhya where a monolith should be erected with an inscription detailing its tortuous history Perhaps its opening lines could be I Babri Masjid was built in 1528 It was thought I was built from the rubble of an ancient temple This was not true Yet I was demolished on December 6 1992 I Babri Masjid am not what you think History always generates multiple remembrancesThe rulers have decreed that the Supreme Courts judgment should be harnessed to foster brotherhood In that endeavour will the rulers abandon the plan of implementing the National Register of Citizens countrywide or remove the discriminatory provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Bill before enacting it into law Or will the sea part againThe writer is a senior journalistSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and donrsquot represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download 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