There’s been some confusion recently about what the leaders of the RSS (a big Indian organization) are saying about old religious places. Dattatreya Hosabale, a senior RSS member, said that people from the RSS can personally join movements to “take back” temples or land in Kashi and Mathura. But this doesn’t match what Mohan Bhagwat, the top leader of the RSS, said last year. Bhagwat was very clear: people shouldn’t keep looking for temples under every mosque. He said it’s not right to keep starting new fights and that India should follow the Constitution—the set of rules that runs the country.

This disagreement makes it really important for the Supreme Court to step in and settle the issue soon. Back in 1991, a law called the Places of Worship Act was made to stop people from changing the religious character of places as they were in 1947 (when India became independent). The only exception was the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, which was already a big issue. In 2019, when the Supreme Court made its decision on Ayodhya, it said this law was very important. The court said we shouldn’t keep bringing up old events to hurt people today or in the future.

But in 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging this law. Since then, more and more groups have started asking for temples or land back, saying these places were taken hundreds of years ago. This has even led to some violence, like in Sambhal. The Supreme Court put a stop to surveys of these places for now.

It’s really important for the court to finish this case quickly. Arguing over things from centuries ago doesn’t help anyone today and wastes a lot of time. The law was made so people could live peacefully, and the Supreme Court needs to make sure that happens.

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