‘Ayodhya verdict delivered under pressure of central govt’

Congress leader Rashid Alvi hit out at the BJP-led Union government over the appointment of Justice (retd.) S Abdul Nazeer as the Andhra Pradesh governor, alleging that the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case under pressure from the Centre. Justice Nazeer was part of the five-judge Constitution bench which delivered the final verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, in 2019. “People are questioning Supreme Court’s decision on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. People are saying the verdict was delivered under pressure from the central government. The judiciary should be independent of the executive under Article 50 of our Constitution,” Alvi said on Sunday. Alvi accused the ruling BJP of dividing the country on communal lines, claiming further that appointment of Justice Nazeer as Andhra Governor has reduced people’s faith in the judiciary.