Ashok Tanwar seeks modification of SC order on Ravidas temple

Former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar on Tuesday filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking a modification of its order which paved way for the reconstruction of the Ravidas temple.

The top court in its order on October 21 accepted the Centre's proposal for the reconstruction of the temple at the same site and increased the area for the construction from 200 to 400 square metres. The directions came on a petition filed by Tanwar and former minister Pradeep Jain. They had sought restoration of idols and pond at the site.

Tanwar said that the apex court had accepted their demands but the same did not reflect in the order. "It appears to have happened due to typographical and clerical mistake, which requires modification," he stated in the petition.

The petitioner sought the temple to be made a "permanent structure and not a portacabin made out of wood". He also demanded to make Guru Ravidas pond and Samadhis a part of the temple complex.

The DDA had, in August, demolished the shrine in Delhi's Tughlakabad area, complying with an order of the top court. It had led to widespread protests across the country.