Shedding retribution

As the Supreme Court gears up to hear arguments challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, a significant debate on secularism, historical accountability, and communal harmony will gain greater traction in the days to come.

This Act, which freezes the status of religious places as they were on August 15, 1947, is being questioned for allegedly curbing the rights of individuals and communities to reclaim spaces they believe were altered in the past.

The Act was enacted to prevent the use of historical grievances for stoking communal tensions. Introduced during a volatile period in the late 20th century, it aimed to ensure that religious disputes did not tear apart India's diverse fabric. In the 2019 Ayodhya verdict, despite ruling in favour of the temple, the Supreme Court upheld the Act as a cornerstone of India's secular ethos. The judgment clarified that historical wrongs cannot justify present-day conflict, and post-Independence India must move forward, leaving behind the divisive ideologies of the past.