Ayodhya hearing: Drama in SC, Rajeev Dhavan tears Lord Ram’s ‘birthplace’ map

This happened following an argument between Dhavan and senior advocate Vikas Singh who was representing the All India Hindu Mahasabha

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When there were more interruptions, the CJI said it would be impossible to continue and the bench would rise if the parties didn’t behave.

Unprecedented scenes were witnessed in the Supreme Court Wednesday, in the final hours of the Ayodhya hearings, when senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, tore a map provided by a Hindu party.

This happened following an argument between Dhavan and senior advocate Vikas Singh who was representing the All India Hindu Mahasabha. Singh wanted the court to take on record a book Ayodhya Revisited, authored by retired IPS officer Kunal Kishore. Dhavan objected, saying the book was not part of the records before the Allahabad HC and it was not open to the other side to produce fresh evidence. Following an argument, Singh agreed not to submit the book. But he asked the bench to look at a map which, he said, showed Ram’s birthplace. He said this map was also part of the records before the HC.

Kishore Kunal, the publisher of the map outside the SC today. (ANI)

This infuriated Dhavan who asked CJI Ranjan Gogoi if he could throw it away. The CJI said he could tear it if he so wished. Dhavan promptly tore the map into pieces, at which Singh said “yeah, shred it further”. When there were more interruptions, the CJI said it would be impossible to continue and the bench would rise if the parties didn’t behave.

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During the post-lunch session, Dhavan told the bench: “There is a controversy that I tore papers in the court on my own… I think I asked if I can throw it away, and CJI told me I can tear it if I want. So I tore it”.

The CJI had a smile when he replied: “Yes, you are right… you can say the CJI told Mr Dhavan that if it’s tearable, you can.”

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

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