Fighting a Case for a Generation: Meet Babri Dispute’s Litigants

Imagine inheriting a Supreme Court case from your father. The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case which is still pending before the Supreme Court has been passed across generations, with the original litigants in the case passing away years ago.

Now, their sons — Iqbal Ansari and mahant Dinendra Das — are carrying forward their legacy, by fighting the case in court. But do they see a solution in sight?

Speaking to The Quint, Iqbal Ansari said:

The hearings have been going on for 70 years, either in the lower courts or in the Supreme Court. For how long should we be patient?’ We have faith in the legal system and hope that the courts will give us justice. But the government is not doing anything.

Iqbal Ansari, Litigant, Babri Masjid case

Ansari’s father, Hashim Ansari, filed the case over the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land in 1961. As a child, he learnt about the case from his father’s friends, who used to come to Hashim Ansari’s house to offer advice. After Hashim Ansari died in 2016 at the age of 95, Iqbal Ansari took over the case.

Talking about how the case has dragged on for decades, Ansari said:

We believe it is good if people live together. Those who come to disturb the peace over the Babri Masjid issue, do so for selfish reasons. When the masjid was demolished, we didn’t take to the streets. When our houses were looted, we were silent. 

Iqbal Ansari, Litigant, Babri Masjid case

On the other side, Dinendra Das, the Nirmohi Akhara priest, too wants a solution to the decades-old dispute. Having taken over the case from his father Mahant Bhaskar Das, Dinendra Das said:

Ram Lalla was always present at the temple earlier, when pooja was conducted. The disputed site belonged to Nirmohi Akhara, and will continue to remain with the Akhara. We are ready to work for Ram Lalla.

Mahant Dinendra Das, Nirmohi Akhara Priest 

But what do the residents of Ayodhya think about the dispute which has increasingly come to define this city in Uttar Pradesh?

They, much like everyone else associated with the case, see no solution in sight.

Speaking to The Quint, Soni Patva, a resident of Ayodhya said,

Sometimes, people say that a solution will be found in 2018 and sometimes in 2019. The case is still going on, and with every new government, the agenda changes.

Soni Patva, Ayodhya resident

Will a new generation also inherit the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute? Or will we arrive at a solution?

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

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