Ravidas Temple: Explore alternate site, we respect sentiments of everybody, Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today implored the stakeholders in Ravidas temple controversy to deliberate on the issue with the lawyers and law officers and devise a solution to build a new temple at an alternate site..A Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Ravindra Bhat said that the Court will pass orders after the parties place a solution before it..“We respect the sentiments of everybody. But it should be as per law, that is all“, said Justice Arun Mishra..The Bench was dealing with a plea filed by Ashok Tanwar and Pradeep Jain Aditya, two former members of Parliament from the Congress party protesting the demolition of the Ravidas Temple at Tughlaqabad, New Delhi..The August 21 demolition by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had provoked large scale protests by members of the Dalit community who follow Saint Guru Ravidas and in whose honour the temple site was revered. Followers of the Saint believe that Guru Ravidas had stayed at the temple site after it was given to him in 1509 by Sikander Lodhi..The DDA had carried out the demolition citing a Supreme Court order passed in a long-standing land encroachment dispute..The petitioners have contended that the site has religious significance for over 500 years, even before the Government of India or DDA came into being. Hence, the petitioners argue, it could not be said that the temple and the samadhis of Guru Saint Ravidas are encroaching upon the Government land. It is also argued that the sacred nature of the temple site is not eroded only because of the temple’s demolition. The petitioners contend that the divinity of land is inalienable and cannot be taken away..Moreover, the significance of the Ravidas temple in view of the historically oppressed status of its followers was also highlighted by the petitioners. While this is the case, the petitioners had pointed out that there are alternate examples of religious structures being allowed construction, even though it would not ordinarily be permissible, including Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple, which was constructed on floodplains of Yamuna in Delhi. They had further added that, in contrast to the Ayodhya case, where there are competing claims over the property, there is no such competing claim in the instant case..In view of these submissions, the petitioners had called on the Court to restore the Ravidas Temple at the Tughlaqabad site..The matter is now listed for October 18.