The Supreme Court on Monday accepted the Centre’s revised offer of 400 sqmt land instead of 200 sqmt — the earlier offer — in Tughlaqabad forest area here for construction of Guru Ravidas temple which was demolished by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) following the court’s order.
The verdict has been welcomed by both the petitioners, Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia and former Union Minister Pradeep Jain. In a joint statement, they termed it people’s victory.
Cricitising the Centre, they said the attitude of the Government towards the issue clearly exposed its anti-Dalit mindset. “It was question of our faith and our struggle will continue till the Government hands over the complex to the Dalit community for reconstruction of the temple.”
Filing the main petition for the reconstruction of the Guru Ravidas temple, Jain and Lilothia said the Government produced wrong facts for demolishing the 600-year-old temple.
They said that in 1509 Sikhandar Lodhi had donated 12 beeghas of land to Guru Ravidas and at that time, there was neither the DDA nor a Government but they have demolished the temple saying it was situated on forest land.
Meanwhile Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said the BJP always stand with Dalits and the AAP always play blame-game politics.
Earlier, Attorney General K K Venugopal told a Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Shripathi Ravindra Bhat that the Centre has revised its offer from 200 square metre area for the temple to 400 square metre keeping in view the faith and sentiments of devotees.
The Bench directed the Centre to constitute within six weeks a committee for the construction of the temple in the area earmarked for it. The Bench said that nobody will carry out any commercial activity in the area in and around the place earmarked for temple.
The top court also directed that persons who were arrested during agitations following the demolition of the temple be released on furnishing of personal bond.