SC Bench that ordered razing to hear plea on reconstruction

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16 

The Supreme Court on Monday referred a petition filed by Congress leaders Ashok Tanwar and Pradeep Jain Aditya seeking reconstruction of Guru Ravidas Temple in Delhi to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi for issuing appropriate orders to place it before the Bench which ordered its demolition last month.

On behalf of Tanwar and Jain, senior counsels Vikas Singh and Salman Khurshid told a Bench headed by Justice R Banumathi that it was a historic temple having cultural significance for followers of Guru Ravidas. The demolition of the temple violated their fundamental right to religion guarantee

The Bench ordered that the petition be placed before the CJI for issuing appropriate orders for placing it before the Bench that had ordered demolition of the temple. Following demolition in Tughlaqabad area of Delhi,  Guru Ravidas’ followers had been protesting against it.

Former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and former MP Pradeep Jain Aditya had on August 27 moved the Supreme Court seeking reconstruction of Guru Ravidas Temple.  A mystic poet-saint and one of the stalwarts of Bhakti movement, Guru Ravidas (1450-1520) has a large number of followers.