Ram Mandir
Like it has been in the past thirty years, Ram Mandir and the Ayodhya dispute continued to be the refrain in the Indian political discourse this year. In September, the Supreme Court rejected a plea by Muslim petitioners seeking that the case be referred to a larger bench. In the subsequent month, the SC bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi dismissed a request by the UP government for an early hearing in the case. The bench, which was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the Allahabad HC verdict, said the court has its own priorities. The said HC had in 2010 ruled that the disputed site be divided between the Ram Lalla, represented by VHP, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board. The Hindu right exhibited discontent with the court’s dismissal of expedition request. Later, in the run-up to the assembly elections in...
