Four leaders of the ruling BJP have been ordered to stand trial on conspiracy charges over a sectarian attack in 1992. Thousands were killed in violence that erupted after Hindu zealots razed a 16th-century mosque.
Hindu activists climbing on top of the 16th century mosque in December 1992 during its destructionImage: AFP/Getty Images
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India's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that four senior members of the ruling Hindu nationalist party must stand trial for their involvement in an attack on the 16th-century Babri mosque a quarter-century ago.
Some 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in violence that erupted in December 1992, when Hindu zealots razed the mosque using pickaxes and crowbars. However, thousands more were later killed in violence related to the disputed site.
The officials, members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have denied any involvement in the attack, but critics alleged their fiery speeches in Ayodhya, where the mosque was located, led to its destruction.
The court ordered Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, former Deputy Premier LK Advani, ex-BJP President Murli Manohar Joshi and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh to be retried on conspiracy charges.
Even decades after, the destroyed mosque continues to spark protests across IndiaImage: picture-alliance/dpa/epa/P. Adhikary
A lower court had previously dropped charges against the four officials brought on by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which prompted a series of appeals.
"We have allowed the CBI appeal against the Allahabad High Court Judgment with certain directions," Supreme Court judges said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
The court's ruling stipulates that the case wrap-up in two years and take place in Lucknow, roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Ayodhya.
Due to Singh's current position as governor of Rajasthan, his trial will begin after his tenure ends due to constitutional immunity granted to those in office. He served as Uttar Pradesh governor, where the mosque was located, during the incident.
Hindu activists believe that a temple marking the birthplace of their god Ram had been destroyed to make way for the Babri mosque. They have called for the construction of a new temple honoring Ram on the disputed site.
Eco-friendly religion in India
Environmentalists in India have come up with a novel way to re-use temple flowers. Flowers used in religious ceremonies are typically thrown into rivers afterwards, causing organic waste pollution.
Image: DW
Land of religion and rivers
Religious ceremonies in India's thousands of temples are having a downstream effect on the nation's rivers. Thousands of devotees flock to temples like the Laxminarayan in New Delhi, pictured, each day to perform prayers, smell the familiar fragrance of incense burning and find peace amid the hustle and bustle of the city.
Image: picture alliance/DINODIA
Saying it with flowers
Along with their prayers, devotees offer flowers to the gods in the temples to show their attachment and love for them. Giving flowers is deeply rooted in most religions in India, not only in Hindu temples, but in Gurudwaras where Sikhs worship, along with Jain temples and in the mausoleums of Muslim saints. It's often a treasured custom learned since childhood.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
From praise to pollution
When the devotees have made their "pooja" floral offerings, some take them home to use again in small residential shrines. When the flowers dry up, they throw them in the rivers. Most worshippers do not think about the environmental impact their offerings have.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
Offerings add up
There are 23,000 temples in New Delhi alone and flower sellers are a common sight outside. A survey by the organization ORM Green revealed that every day, about 20,000 kilograms (44,092 pounds) of flowers come out of the city's temples. That makes up half of the organic waste produced every day in India's capital. About 80 percent of those flowers end up rotting in the Yamuna River.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
Pollution problem
Indian Hindus consider rivers to be holy, yet many of them are dreadfully polluted. The country's government has spent about 20 billion euros ($27 billion) over the past few years on projects to clean up the Yamuna River, for example, but there is little to show for it. Here, a child picks rubbish from the Tawi River in India's north.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
New ideas
The bright floral scenes in the temples are a stark contrast to the pollution issues plaguing India's rivers. But customs can change, says Anita Kalsi, vice president of ORM Green. The non-governmental organization has come up with a novel way to recycle the flowers and make prayer rituals more environmentally friendly.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
Flowers to fuel
Kalsi and her colleagues have developed a machine to process the used flower petals and buds. The by-product can be used to make incense sticks and biofuels for cooking. It took a year's worth of work and 10,000 euros to design the prototype, named Blessed Flower, which is now installed at the Sai Baba Temple in New Delhi.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
Raising awareness
In the next few years, ORM Green wants to install at least 30 additional flower recycling machines at some of New Delhi's temples. They are also planning on improving the machine to process stems and leaves of plants. Rickshaws, such as this one, have been set up to collect offering flowers for processing and to raise awareness of the project.
Image: DW/A. Ashraf
Spiritual and sustainable
Worshippers at the Sai Baba Mandir approve of the novel way of reusing their "pooja" flower offerings. Some also incorporate their own form of recycling, such as using the rotten flowers to fertilize their own plants. With the support of the public and temple administrators, ORM Green wants to spread this technology across India, uniting spirituality with sustainability in a practical way.
