NEW DELHI/AYODHYA (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court, ignoring a government plea and in the midst of the worst religious crisis in a decade, Wednesday barred hard-line Hindus from holding special prayers in the holy town of Ayodhya.
Its ruling that Hindus be prevented from holding a prayer ceremony planned for Friday near the site of a razed mosque was slammed by hard-liners who said they would go to the masses to build opinion in favor of Hindus' "right to pray."
The Hindu-Muslim unrest, which has already claimed more than 700 lives since Feb. 27, also looked as though it was agitating a political crisis as coalition allies condemned a last-minute plea by the government for the prayers to go ahead.
Coalition allies of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the court plea by the government's attorney general objectionable.
The lower house of parliament was suspended in uproar for the day after opposition lawmakers accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of betraying India's secular constitution by siding with the Hindu hard-liners.
But in Ayodhya itself, the situation was calm -- although officials have beefed up security in the last few days.
Supreme Court Justice B.N. Kripal said no religious activity should be allowed on land around the Ayodhya site -- where a mosque was razed in 1992 -- until an eventual court ruling on whether the land should be given to Muslims or Hindus.
"No religious activity of any kind, whether it is symbolic or actual ... shall be permitted or allowed to take place," the judge told a packed courtroom after a 90-minute hearing.
The three-judge bench rejected arguments made by Attorney General Soli Sorabjee that Hindus be allowed to hold a symbolic prayer ceremony, or "puja," Friday.
"If you allow puja, will you allow namaz (Muslim prayers) tomorrow on that land? Are you not escalating the situation?" Kripal asked the attorney general.
The BJP had come under intense pressure from its traditional hard-line Hindu supporters to allow some form of prayer ceremony.
And although senior ministers said the court verdict would be enforced, the attorney general's court plea outraged coalition partners who complained they had not been consulted. The coalition partners are crucial to keeping the BJP in power.
Yerran Naidu, leader of the regional Telugu Desam Party, described the attorney general's plea as objectionable.
The ceremony was opposed by Muslims and the BJP's secular coalition partners amid fears that it would be a prelude to building a temple on the site of the mosque, whose demolition triggered nationwide riots in which 3,000 died.
HARD-LINE VHP TO CONSULT SEERS
The hard-line Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) -- which comes from the same ideological family as the ruling BJP -- said it would now seek public support to overturn the court ruling, but steered clear of announcing mass protests Friday.
"We are left with only one option -- to take it to the masses and build opinion nationwide," VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia told a news conference. "Hindus have been denied the right to pray."
In Ayodhya, VHP international president Ashok Singhal said he planned a procession of some 2,000 activists and locals on Friday who would "court arrest" if stopped.
Authorities have virtually sealed off Ayodhya to stop VHP activists flooding in and the northern town was unusually quiet Wednesday.
Nearly 6,000 police and paramilitary forces were patrolling the streets, roads were blocked and trains canceled.
Police across the country have also been patrolling railway stations to prevent thousands of activists heading to Ayodhya.
Hindu activists say the 16th-century Babri mosque was built by Muslim invaders on the birthplace of the Hindu god-king Ram.
The latest violence began when 58 Hindu activists traveling from Ayodhya died when a Muslim mob attacked their train.
That led to a wave of revenge killings in which around 650 mostly Muslims were killed. Thousands of survivors are still in relief camps, too terrified to return to their homes.
The religious strife erupted as Vajpayee was already managing a military stand-off with Pakistan, and has plunged him into his biggest domestic crisis since he took office in 1999.
Kuldip Nayar, a political analyst and upper house lawmaker, said the coalition allies were right to feel cheated by the BJP, which had promised to drop the drive for a temple at Ayodhya as the price of their support in government. "I'd be very surprised if the government lasts its full term," he said. The next national elections are due in 2004.
The ruling BJP had already been weakened by defeats in state polls last month, including in Uttar Pradesh, its traditional power base and home to Ayodhya.
Political analyst Inder Malhotra said all depended on whether the government kept VHP under control in Ayodhya.
"This situation will grow exponentially into a crisis in the next six weeks if things get out of control in Ayodhya -- and the government's existence could be threatened, it could fall," he said. "The next 48 hours are crucial."