New Delhi:
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the construction of Sant Ravidas temple in Delhi’s Tughlakabad area on Monday. The temple will be constructed at the very site where the structure was demolished in August. The top court agreed to the Centre’s proposal of assigning 400 square meter of land for the temple. In August, a team of the Delhi Development Authority had demolished the temple, which was constructed on a forest land. Several petitions were filed against the DDA action. A clash had broken out between the police and protesters in Govindpuri during a demonstration against the demolition of the Ravidas temple in Tughlakabad.
Several groups staged a protest against the demolition of the Ravidas temple in Tughlakabad on August 10 following a Supreme Court order. The demonstration turned violent as protesters marched towards the temple, resorted to stone-pelting and used sticks to attack policemen who resorted to force to contain the crowd.
The apex court also directed release of persons who were arrested during agitations following demolition of Guru Ravidas temple. The Supreme Court also directed the Centre to set up within 6 weeks a committee for construction of the Guru Ravidas temple in 400 sq mt area. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was also arrested after being detained at South East Delhi’s Govindpuri police station in August. He was later granted bail by a Delhi court. He was charged along with 95 other people for rioting in the aftermath of the demolition of Ravidas temple. The court has ordered him not to leave the country and tamper with the evidence.
