Ayodhya panel official on report delay: all created legal hurdles

Pachauri, who retired last year as member-secretary, is tight-lipped about what the final report may contain, saying “I can’t say anything more right now”. But it is clear that none of the political parties or governments have been particularly helpful or enthusiastic about the facts coming out. Procedural delays apart, in the 14 years that have lapsed, there have been five changes of government and as many Prime Ministers. The Congress, United Front and the BJP all have been in power, but none of the parties have shown any will to get to the truth of the matter, or any sense of urgency.

Justice MS Liberhan, who constitutes the one-man Commission, was contacted for what he may have to say on the delay. He refused to comment, saying he will speak “only at the appropriate time”.

At the Ayodhya Commission’s office at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, those associated with the Inquiry tell you how the staff has been skeletal; Chandigarh-based Justice MS Liberhan (now retired) was assisted by two counsels till 1999, but after that, has had just one counsel. The computers are outdated and even the ten year old -photocopier is creaking. With very basic infrastructure, a need to maintain confidentiality, staff here say it has been impossible to speed up things. Of the more than hundred witnesses who have been examined, the last witness to be examined (former chief minister of UP, Kalyan Singh) took as late as twelve and a half years, that is, until June 3 last year to come to the box. A year of sittings and arguments followed, that, and the entire process has been concluded only in June.

Staff at the Commission admit that the delay in the report coming out, despite these problems, is indefensible, but almost all here say they are confident that the net result will not be a whitewash. The latest deadline for the Commission to submit its report is December 31, 2006.

RSS making TV serial on Temple

NEW DELHI: A TV serial on the RSS is under production and will carry episodes on the Ram temple movement, Sangh mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ has said.

The telecast of the 70-episode “Matribhoomi” is expected in November on a national TV station, but the weekly did not say which channel would carry the Sangh programme.

RSS chief K S Sudarshan and senior BJP leader L K Advani, who were together at the August 15 screening of a Sangh film here, also attended the serial’s ‘muhurat’.