Let's us talk about the Srikrishna Report. It took five years for the report to come out. Although it was a detailed document, nothing was done after that. In this case, hasn't the delay in justice left the Muslim community disillusioned?
Everybody told me, you have taken too long to decide. With about 15,000 documents to be carefully studied and around 555 witnesses whose oral testimony was recorded over a period of five years, with half a dozen lawyers examining and cross-examining them, there was no way I could have finished it in less time.
Plus, six-seven months were lost because the commission itself was disbanded by the then Shiv Sena government, and later was reinstated by Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's letter.
And I am prepared to challenge any judge, if it could have been done in lesser time. Would you call this a delay? People say what is the use? But the point is after the report was made in 1998, what has been done? We are in 2008. That is a delay.
What do you make of this delay? After you presented such a detailed report and justice was delayed, how do you feel?
What I feel is condensed in the report I wrote. It's in the 200 pages of the report and 500 pages of annex documents. These are my findings. Now whether or not to act on it, requires a political will. The political will is lacking. Earlier the BJP-Sena government in power were obviously not interested. They said that the report was produced by an anti-Hindu man, who has bias against Hindus.
Did these comments upset you?
They didn't upset me at all. I am known to be a kattar (staunch) Hindu. In fact I once told a person I was a Hindu fundamentalist. He said, 'Why do you call yourself as a Hindu fundamentalist”' Because I believe in the fundamentals of Hinduism, which says that love your religion, and love the man who loves his religion. I respect your religion, because I know how much I love my religion. And that's my fundamental principle in life.
So, I am a devout Hindu, I make no bones about it. I sit in the court with a big tilak on my head. And I do my puja everyday. But if you go for mass or do namaaz, I have no quarrel with it. Each to his own religion.
The commission of inquiry has no mechanism of enforcing its decisions. But basically, and legally, the commission of inquiry is an advisory body to inform the government of the factual situation. After the factual situation has been informed to the government, how the government reacts is the real test of the government. If the government wants to dump the report, that's their privilege under the law, I cannot prevent it.
The only way this matter can be sorted out is through public interest litigation. There is a public interest litigation pending in the Supreme Court. But bit by bit, cases have been reopened, they have asked for a committee to be appointed to scrutinise all the chargesheets and they have asked for a reinvestigation.
Image: Paramilitary forces patrol the streets of Mumbai during the 1992-93 riots.
Photograph: Douglas E Curran/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: 'Mumbai won't burn if Srikrishna report is implemented'
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