Muslim parties want review of 1994 ruling

Muslim parties want review of 1994 ruling

What has happened?

Almost 24 years after the Supreme Court said a mosque has no “unique or special status” and is not an essential part of the practice of Islam and namaz, Muslim parties involved in the Ramjanmabhoomi title dispute want the court to first reconsider its stand before going ahead with the hearing in the Babri Masjid case.

A look back: Ismail Faruqui vs Union of India 

• The 24-year-old Ismail Faruqui vs Union of Indiacase dealt with the acquisition of 67.703 acres of land in Ayodhya after the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992
• In 1994, the Supreme Court observed that “Muslims can offer prayer anywhere, even in the open”
• A mosque cannot restrict the state’s sovereign power to acquire land for an “undoubted national purpose.”
• The Supreme Court went on to distinguish between places of worship with “particular significance”, which have to be treated reverentially, and “ordinary places of worship”

Illogical step

Illogical to compare places of worship: Who will decide that this place of worship is more significant than another? All are equal. All places are of equal significance according to the advocate of the Muslim parties.