Ayodhya verdict a result of judicial will and not political will: Madhav Godbole

Highest court of the country has decided the matter and given finality to it. The citizens have to abide by it and it is binding on all of us, he says

The historic Ayodhya verdict delivered by the Supreme Court today is “the result of judicial will and not political will,” said Madhav Godbole, who was the Union home secretary at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.

Madhav Godbole was the Union home secretary at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992. (HT FILE)

Welcoming the judgement by saying that it has brought a “finality to the dispute”, Godbole said in an interview, “We must take note that this judgement has come due to judicial will and not political will. It is the judicial will which has brought finality to it and brought us here. This same judicial will could have led us to the finality of the issue and it would have been settled in 1993 itself.”

Commenting further on the judgement he said, “The highest court of the country has decided the matter and given finality to it. The citizens have to abide by it and it is binding on all of us.”

He noted that although aggrieved parties, if any, have the option of filing a revision petition before the court, the chances of it being entertained were rare.

Godbole said the apex court has taken the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) submission into account that a non-Muslim structure existed underneath the masjid and that the land title did not belong to Muslims even if there was a masjid that existed where Muslims prayed for many years.”

About the demolition of the masjid he noted: “As far as the demolition of the masjid is concerned, it is a known fact and no reiteration of it is required as is evident from the SC judgement. “

Godbole pointed out that the disputed land was already in the possession of the central government for long and implementation of the apex court’s verdict would not take much time.