Land where angels fear to tread

And to meet the expectations of the people, they made an attempt to tread a minefield, which even angels fear, said one of the judges on the three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court that delivered the verdict on the Ayodhya lands dispute on Thursday.

“Here is a small piece of land (1500 square yards) where angels fear to tread,” said Justice Sigbat Ullah Khan in the prelude to his lengthy order in the matter.

“It is full of innumerable land mines. We are required to clear it’’, Justice Khan went on to say.

Fools rush in

“Some very sane elements advised us not to attempt that. We do not propose to rush in like fools lest we are blown’’, quipped justice Khan further in his prelude. “However we have to take risk. It is said that the greatest risk in life is not daring to take risk when occasion for the same arises,” he added.

“Once angels were made to bow before Man...Sometimes he has to justify the said honour. This is one of those occasions’’, justice Khan said.

The learned judge wondered whether he and his fellow judges had succeeded in their attempt. “We have succeeded or failed? No one can be a judge in his own cause’’, he says.

Perhaps for this reason, Justice Khan, while retiring to his chamber after reading out the judgement, asked the lawyers present in the packed court room to still try to explore possibilities of an amicable settlement.