Supreme Court sends out wrong signals on Ayodhya

It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court intervened on Thursday to delay a judgment on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. The judgment was to be delivered on September 24, but till Tuesday, we won’t even know what’s in store. The court will be hearing a case filed by one of the petitioners seeking a deferment of the Allahabad high court judgment in order to try for an out-of-court settlement.

This is highly irresponsible. At a time when courts are already groaning under the burden of excessive litigation, it makes little sense for the Supreme Court to allow one more festering sore to vegetate for some more time. More so because, the court’s intervention sends the message that verdicts cannot be delivered if they have consequences for the law and order situation.

The Supreme Court has unnecessarily intervened in the due process of law. We look to the judiciary to stand up and deliver justice without fear or favour. It’s a bad day for democracy if the courts develop cold feet on this count.

Some observers believe that the Congress-led UPA government may have drawn excessive attention to the possibility of violence after the judgment, as evidenced by appeals from the cabinet and from home minister P Chidambaram that people should maintain communal harmony.

The government even went to the extent of saying that the high court verdict is not the end of the road, and that there is provision for an appeal to the Supreme Court. It is possible that the government has information about the possible outbreak of trouble in the wake of the judgment. But instead of taking appropriate measures to deal with the situation, it seems to have sent out the wrong message that it may not be able handle the fallout. This is presumption of the preposterous kind.

There is no doubt that communal elements from among Hindus and Muslims may be planning and plotting to react to the verdict. But it is the job of the government to deal with them firmly. As of now, the main contesting parties have expressed a keen desire to know what the verdict is.

The losers, or both parties, may well appeal to the Supreme Court once the Allahabad court delivers its decision. That’s the time the Supreme Court should have come into the picture. On Tuesday, its only job is to end the suspense and direct the Allahabad high court to say what it has decided.