The nation's highest court ruled last week that a verdict by the High Court of Allahabad, scheduled for Friday, be postponed while the Supreme Court hears the parties to the case on 28 September.
This seems to reverse the verdict for a few days. Perhaps India should prepare itself for a verdict again this time next week.
But things look, do not be surprised if the Supreme Court found a way of delaying the verdict, possibly to persuade the two sides in the case of entering into negotiations to try to reach a compromise.
There are also reports that one of the judges in the Allahabad High Court plans to retire Oct. 1 so any delay in the issuance of the decision beyond the next week could mean that the verdict is put out far beyond .
Mukul Rohtagi, senior advocate of the Supreme Court said in televised remarks that "the Supreme Court should perhaps give a healing touch on this issue highly controversial issues are raised."
The Babri Masjid is a disputed religious site in Uttar Pradesh, that Hindus and Muslims claim as their own. A Hindu mob destroyed the mosque in 1992, leading to widespread unrest. Among other things, the court had to decide who has rights to the site.
Reconciliation has been tried before without success. There is no reason to believe that further discussion, even under the watchful eye of the Supreme Court will do better. But the day of the trial will continue to postpone, and probably not a bad thing.
India allows, for now, to turn past the risk of a repeat of 1992, when there is so much else in the public agenda. Few expected to be repeated, given how much India has changed since then and how Hindu nationalism as a creed has receded in public consciousness.
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