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Business News › News › Politics › How Allahabad HC exposed 'experts' espousing Masjid cause

How Allahabad HC exposed 'experts' espousing

Masjid cause
By Abhinav Garg, TNN Last Updated: Oct 09, 2010, 11:29:00 AM IST
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Synopsis
The role played by historians & archaeologists who appeared on behalf of the Waqf
Board to support its claim has come in for criticism by one of the Allahabad High Court Videos
judges in the Ayodhya verdict.

TNN
NEW DELHI: The role played by
"independent experts" — historians
and archaeologists who appeared on
Andolan to Pratishtha: AIIMS Delhi to remain
behalf of the Waqf Board to support its Tale of two IAS officers open on Jan 22

claim — has come in for criticism by

one of the Allahabad High Court
judges in the Ayodhya verdict. Latest from ET

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While the special bench of three judges
unanimously dismissed objections raised by the experts to the presence of a 2. AIIMS Delhi reverses order; to remain open on
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temple, it was Justice Sudhir Agarwal who put their claims to extended
judicial scrutiny.
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Most of these experts deposed twice. Before the ASI excavations, they said
there was no temple beneath the mosque and, after the site had been dug up, POLITICS TRENDING TERMS

they claimed what was unearthed was a mosque or a stupa. During lengthy Budget 2024 Mizoram Election Result
cross-examination spread over several pages and recorded by Justice Agarwal, Rajasthan Election Result
the historians and experts were subjected to pointed queries about their MP Election Results
expertise, background and basis for their opinions.

To the court's astonishment, some who had written signed articles and issued
pamphlets, found themselves withering under scrutiny and the judge said
they were displaying an "ostrich-like attitude" to facts.

He also pointed out how the independent witnesses were all connected — one
had done a PhD under the other, another had contributed an article to a book
penned by a witness.

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1/22/24, 4:15 PM How Allahabad HC exposed 'experts' espousing Masjid cause - The Economic Times

Some instances underlined by the judge are: Suvira Jaiswal deposed "whatever
knowledge I gained with respect
to disputed site is based on newspaper reports or what others told" (other
experts). She said she prepared a report on the Babri dispute "after reading
newspaper reports and on basis of discussions with medieval history expert in
my department." Supriya Verma, another expert who challenged the ASI
excavations, had not
read the ground penetration radar survey report that led the court to order an
excavation. She did her PhD under another expert Shireen F Ratnagar.

Verma and Jaya Menon alleged that pillar bases at the excavated site had been
planted but HC found they were not present at the time the actual excavation
took place.

Archaeologist Shereen F Ratnagar has written the "introduction" to the book

of another expert who deposed, Professor Mandal. She admitted she had no
field experience.

"Normally, courts do not make adverse comments on the deposition of a

witness and suffice it to consider whether it is credible or not, but we find it
difficult to resist ourselves in this particular case considering the sensitivity
and nature of dispute and also the reckless and irresponsible kind of
statements..." the judge has noted.

He said opinions had been offered without making a proper investigation,

research or study in the subject. The judge said he was "startled and puzzled"
by contradictory statements. When expert witness Suraj Bhan deposed on the
Babri mosque, the weight of his evidence was contradicted by anotherexpert
for Muslim parties, Shirin Musavi, who told the court that Bhan "is an
archaeologist and not an expert on medieval history".

Justice Agarwal referred to signed statements issued by experts and noted

that "instead of helping in making a cordial atmosphere it tends to create
more complications, conflict and controversy." He pointed out that experts
carry weight with public opinion. "One cannot say that though I had made a
statement but I am not responsible for its authenticity since it is not based on
my study or research but what I have learnt from what others have uttered,"
Justice Aggarwal has said, emphasising the need for thorough original
research before concurring with what someone else has claimed.

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1/22/24, 4:15 PM How Allahabad HC exposed 'experts' espousing Masjid cause - The Economic Times

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