Centre willing to handover 200 sq metre area for reconstruction of Ravidas temple: AG tells SC

Respecting the faith of the devotees of Guru Ravidas, Centre was ready to offer the space for temple reconstruction, submitted Attorney General K K Venugopal before the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The Centre told the Supreme Court that it was willing to offer 200 square meters of plot in the same site where the temple had existed before its demolition.

New Delhi: Attorney General KK Venugopal on Friday told the Supreme Court that 200 square metre area of the site can be handed over to a committee of devotees for the reconstruction of the Sant Ravidas temple in Delhi.

While hearing the matter, the apex court also took the stand of the Centre on record and proposal and listed the case for further hearing on Monday

The top court had on October 4 asked all the petitioners to convene a meeting with the Attorney General and try to come up with a possible amicable solution for constructing the Ravidas temple.

The Apex Court will pass the order on Monday.

Former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and former minister Pradeep Jain had filed the petition before the apex court and sought interim relief for the restoration of idols and pond that was present at the site in the Ravidas temple.

A bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, was apprised by Venugopal that complying with the earlier order of the Supreme Court, he had held consultation with all concerned parties including devotees and government officials.

The Centre has agreed to give the land as the matter is a sensitive one, the Attorney General said.

The petitioners have also sought interim relief allowing them to pray at the site. The petitioners have filed the writ petition and are seeking enforcement of their fundamental right to worship, which is part of Article 21 of the Constitution. They are aggrieved by the demolition and desecration of the temple of Saint Guru Ravidas in Tughlaqabad, Delhi.

The land on which the temple/Guru Dham was built was given by Sultan Sikander Lodhi to Saint Guru Ravidas in 1509, the petitioners claimed.

The land at the site is of utmost historical and religious importance to all followers of Saint Guru Ravidas as the Guru himself had lived at the site, they said.

Read: Ravidas temple protesters sent to 14-day judicial custody

Also regarding this matter, Delhi Congress leader and former MLA, Rajesh Lilothia filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court seeking action against DDA for demolishing Ravidas temple.

The Intervention Application (IA) filed by Lilothia sought a direction from the Apex Court for permission to pray at the holy site until Guru Ravidas Temple is reconstructed and also restoration of the idols at the holy site.

Lilothia has prayed for enforcement of right to worship with respect to erstwhile Sri Ravidas Temple.