Almighty as Litigant : Ram Janmabhoomi Case and the Concept of juristic personhood of temple deities in India

Anjan Saha

Vol-8,Issue-2,March - April 2023

Author: Anjan Saha

Keywords: Pathur Nataraja, Juristic Person, next friend, Purva-Mimamsa, Shebait, Dayabhaga, Phala, Temple Hinduism, Vaidikas, Sankalpa, Utsarga.

Abstract: Faith and political machination surrounding Ram Janmabhoomi / Babri Masjid issue triggered probably the biggest mass movement in Post-Colonial India, leading to a massive upheaval in the contemporary society and politics, that had been analysed in detail. But the jurisprudence involved in the case, which was finally settled by the Apex Court attracted little scholarly attention so far. In this essay I would analyse how the doctrine of ‘juristic personhood’ came to be imposed on temple deities, as well as philosophical foundation and contestations about this interesting, but little understood, seldom analysed phenomena.

Article Info: Received: 05 Mar 2023; Received in revised form: 03 Apr 2023; Accepted: 10 Apr 2023; Available online: 17 Apr 2023

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.82.20