48 hrs to judgment day, security forces on toes

With less than 48 hours to go before Allahabad high court delivers the much-awaited judgment on Ayodhya title suits, the nation on Wednesday braced itself for the outcome of the most contentious issue. The Centre asked all the state governments to step up security and remain on high alert to maintain law and order.

Though security across the country had been beefed up in general after the high court on September 17 rejected the deferment plea, the Centre and states geared up to remain extra vigilant after the Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear urgently a plea to postpone the Ayodhya verdict. The Apex Court’s refusal to hear the plea paved the way for the High Court’s scheduled pronouncement of the verdict on Friday.

Meanwhile, Union home minister P Chidambaram appealed for peace. In a statement, he asked states to take adequate measures to maintain law and order, especially in sensitive areas.

In the Supreme Court, a bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and AK Patnaik said that the matter raised by a former bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, who is also a party in the Ayodhya related law suits before Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench), isn’t mentioned in the roster before the Bench. It’s for the registry to list Tripathi’s petition against a fractured judgment of the high court before an appropriate Bench. Tripathi has questioned the appropriateness of 2:1 HC judgment that has also imposed a heavy cost Rs50,000 on him for moving the application.

Though informed sources feel that the petition may come before a bench on Thursday, they however don’t rule out the possibility of its dismissal on the ground that it’s for HC alone to take a call on the date of judgment.

But the Apex Court can partially stay the order limited to imposition of exemplary cost against Tripathi. Apprehending unrest in the aftermath of the Friday judgment, Tripathi says the verdict in the law suits filed 60 years ago should be deferred till the end of the Commonwealth Games. He has other concerns too such as flood fury across the country, troubled Kashmir, volatile Bihar elections among others.

According to home minister Chidambaram, the forthcoming verdict by a special bench of HC relates to four title suits. Chidambaram says in a statement these suits involve a number of ‘issues’ which were framed by the trial court, recast by HC that also made additional issues in the proceedings. In one case, the HM said issues were recast after certain orders of the Supreme Court.

It seems that the chief minister has downplayed the Ayodhya verdict by referring it as a longstanding issue. “In the country, there prevails an atmosphere of celebration and religious activities which are in full swing. In Gujarat, too, all of you are immersed in the fervour of festivities - be it religious, cultural or social. Zealous preparations are going on in full swing to celebrate the forthcoming festivals of Navratri, Vijayadashami and Diwali. These festivals give a boost to the economic activities of all, be it big or small. Even the poorest of the poor get good opportunity to earn their livelihood,” the CM says in the release.

Talking about the elections in the state, Modi says: “The civic body elections are approaching. My humble appeal to all the citizens is that though you would be eagerly awaiting the judgment on thelongstanding Ayodhya issue, please do not be carried away by the excitement as it will not benefit anyone. Kindly remember that Gujarat has laid to rest for the past several years the ghost of violence and curfew.”

The CM has cited figures from the report of the Union government. “Gujarat is today progressing on its strength of peace and social amity. Because of development, the poor are able to get employment opportunities. According to a recent Government of India report, Gujarat has successfully given employment opportunities to 72 per cent of its youths and it ranks as the topmost state in the sphere of providing employment. In contrast, other states put together could provide employment only to 28 per cent to the youths,” he says.

He also warned the citizens about the antisocial elements, who could try to exploit the situation. Modi says, “The country’s enemies are carefully watching us. Let us not allow any antisocial element to succeed in destroying the peaceful social fabric of our state. I appeal to you all that let us take the development of Gujarat further towards the path of progress with peace, self-control and patience.”