The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the construction or naming of any mosque in the name of Babur or Babri Masjid across India, news agency PTI reported.
A bench comprising Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta declined to entertain the plea, legal news website LiveLaw reported.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that no mosque should be built or named after Babur, describing him as an “intruder”. It also stated that Babur had labeled Hindus as slaves and that action should be taken against those allegedly involved in such activities, the website said.
The petition sought a broad direction to prevent the authorities from allowing the construction or naming of any mosque after Babur or Babri Masjid anywhere in India.
As the Court expressed its reluctance to deal with the matter, the petitioner withdrew it. The case was therefore dismissed as withdrawn.
Recently, a former member of the Trinamool Congress, Humayun Kabir, created a controversy by announcing plans to build a Masjid Babri in Murshidabad, West Bengal.
In November 2019, in a judgment allowing the construction of the Ram Mandir at the disputed site in Ayodhya, the Supreme Court termed the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 as a gross violation of the rule of law. The court ordered that 5 acres of alternative site should be allotted at a prominent location in Ayodhya itself for the reconstruction of Babri Masjid.
Who was Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur?
Babur was born Zahir ud-Din Muhammad and was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
Babur was originally a ruler from Fergana (present-day Uzbekistan). But after losing and regaining territory in Central Asia, he turned to India. In 1526, he defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, in the First Battle of Panipat, considered by many to be the turning point that led to the establishment of Mughal rule in India.