Declare Ayodhya site a national heritage: PIL
New Delhi, June 1: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the advocate, who has sought a direction to declare the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site at Ayodhya a national heritage, to file a representation before the Central government.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar asked petitioner advocate Anu Mehta to make a representation before the Union Ministry of Culture in this regard and said that the government may consider the representation and take a decision within three months.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Mehta, who has sought the court's direction for protection and preservation of the ancient and endangered archaeological monument located at Ayodhya.
In the plea, she has sought a direction to declare the Ayodhya site as well as the entire monument at the site as per Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act a national heritage.
The petitioner has also sought the court's direction to preserve the protected Ayodhya site, take necessary action to preserve both monuments -- the ancient temple as well as the mosque independently, and if required, separate the superstructure from the original structure of the entire monument at the site to maintain the sanctity of both the monuments.
"Beneath the superstructure lies an ancient monument which dates back to centuries and holds a vital key to the history of the continent's ancient civilisation. Thus, the ancient monument constitutes national heritage as per the provisions of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act," the plea read.
The PIL said that the monument holds vital information and proofs regarding the past civilisation and points at the social, cultural and religious advancement in the region in that era.
The plea also mentions that there also exists a mosque at the site which too may be acquired and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and holds a historical importance as it signifies and denotes the sad invasion of India by Babur which too is a vital and historically unfortunate event in India's history.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
