Swara Bhasker says, ‘I was saddened by the verdict’:Messaged Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman Khan, asked them for forgiveness

Actress Swara Bhasker recently recalled how she felt deeply saddened by the Supreme Court’s verdict in the 2019 Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. She said that after the verdict, she messaged the Muslim contacts saved on her phone and apologised to them. Met Fahad Ahmed during a protest In an interview with The Midnight Hour, Swara Bhasker and Fahad Ahmed spoke about their love story and how they first met at a protest. They started working together on social issues After their first meeting, Swara and Fahad began working together regularly on social and political issues. Swara said she was particularly impressed by Fahad’s way of working. In the interview, Swara Bhasker said, “And then the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came up. This was in 2019, when the verdict in the case was delivered. I think that was also a very major issue. I was deeply saddened by that verdict. I was thinking, what kind of country is this and how could such a verdict be delivered?” She further said, “I was very upset by that verdict because I felt it was deeply wrong and unjust. So I messaged all my Muslim friends on Facebook. From Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to Fahad Ahmed, I messaged everyone.” She also said, “I was very upset and simply wanted to get my message across to all Muslims. I am a Hindu, but I wanted to tell them that I was genuinely sorry about this. I feel ashamed and do not agree with this decision. This is my personal view. However, some people responded by saying that everything was fine and that I did not need to send a message like this.” After this, the conversation between Swara and Fahaan grew further. Whenever there was a major issue in the country, the two would discuss it together. Supreme Court verdict came in 2019 In November 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in the Ayodhya land dispute and ordered that the disputed 2.77 acres be allotted for the construction of the Ram temple. It also directed that the Muslim side be given 5 acres of alternative land in Ayodhya. Demand was made for a contempt case against Swara Bhasker In 2020, actress Swara Bhasker also courted controversy over her comments on the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Ayodhya birthplace case. On 1 February 2020, Swara questioned the Ayodhya verdict at an event organised by the Mumbai Collective. She said that the Supreme Court had held the demolition of the Babri Masjid to be illegal, but in the same verdict had given land to those who demolished the mosque. She also said that the country had reached a point where questions were being raised about the courts’ faith in the Constitution. Advocate Anuj Saxena had sought the initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Swara over the statement. For this, he had sought permission from the then Attorney General K.K. Venugopal. The petition alleged that Swara’s comment had damaged the reputation of the Supreme Court. However, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had refused to grant permission in the matter. He had said that Swara’s first statement was her personal perception and did not contain anything that defamed the Supreme Court as an institution or diminished its dignity. He also described Swara’s second statement as general and vague. According to him, the statement was not directed against any particular court. Therefore, it could not be considered a case of criminal contempt. After the Attorney General refused to grant permission, the petitioners also contacted Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. He too refused to give his consent in the matter.