RELIGIOUS Hindus and nationalists celebrated in the streets of the Indian city of Ayodhya over the weekend after the Supreme Court ruled that a temple to the god Rama could be built on disputed ground.

The ruling is a major boost for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, forming one of three signature demands of his Hindu chauvinist BJP party. It has also promised the revocation of Article 370 of the constitution on protecting Kashmiris’ rights to their land — which his government has already forced through — and the imposition of a uniform civil code that would “iron out” regional divergences based on India’s diverse religious and ethnic make-up in favour of the Hindu majority.

The planned temple in Uttar Pradesh is controversial as it will stand on the site of the Babri Masjid mosque, which was razed to the ground by a mob organised by the BJP and the Hindu militant VHP organisation in 1992. The outrage sparked sectarian violence across India in which thousands of people, mostly Muslims, were killed. The mosque, which had stood since 1528, was allegedly built on the site of a previous temple to Rama, though this has never been proved. Hindus say the site is Rama’s birthplace.