UPDATE

Hindus to get Ayodhya land, alternate land to be given to Muslims: India's Supreme Court

India's Supreme Court ruling passed on appeals against a 2010 verdict by lower court

Last updated:
8 MIN READ
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A security personel walks in front of the Indian Supreme court in New Delhi on August 27, 2014. India’s top court said lawmakers with criminal backgrounds should not serve in government,
AFP

Highlights

  • 134-year-old dispute settled in just over 30 minutes
  • The Indian Supreme Court on Saturday held that the suit by Nirmohi Akhara over Ayodhya was time barred.
  • The findings of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report cannot be brushed aside as conjecture.
  • ASI reports show that the Babri Masjid was not built on a vacant land. The underlying structure was not of Islamic origin.
  • The faith of Hindus that the place is birth place of Lord Ram is undisputed.
  • The Ram Janmabhoomi has no juristic personality. But Ram Lalla, the deity has juristic personality.
  • The Suit by Sunni Waqf Board is maintainable and not barred by limitation.
  • The Sunni Waqf Board has not been able to prove adverse possession. There is evidence to show that the Hindus had been visiting the premises prior to 1857.

Dubai: The historic verdict on the long-running Ayodhya dispute was announced by a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and including Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer.

Supreme Court judges said the ruling was "unanimous."

India's Supreme Court Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi (centre), flanked by Justices Sharad Arvind Bobde (second right), Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud (second from left), Ashok Bhushan (extreme left) and S Abdul Nazeer (extreme right).

Before the hearings began, the Supreme Court had appointed a mediation panel headed by a retired judge who interacted with Hindu and Muslim parties in an attempt to seek an out of court settlement.

The mediation panel, however, told the court in August that not all parties were ready for a settlement. Gulf News reported in July that Sunni Waqf Board, a key Muslim party, had decided to give up its claim on the disputed land.

Reaction

The Indian Supreme Court on Saturday ruled over the 134-year-old Ayodhya dispute. In its ruling, read in about 30 minutes, the Indian Supreme Court ruled the following.

Immediately following the reading of the verdict, India's Sunni Waqf Board, the main Muslim petitioner, told Gulf News they welcomed the Ayodhya decision — and will abide by Supreme Court verdict.

“I welcome the verdict and humbly accept the Supreme Court order and we will not appeal or seek a review of the order,” Zufar Farooqui, chairman of Sunni Waqf Board told Gulf News over the phone from Lucknow.

“If anyone is saying that they are filing a review of the court order, then such persons have no relations with the Sunni board,” he added.

Security was tight in Ayodhya on Saturday. Schools and universities in Uttar Pradesh state where Ayodhya is located have been shut till November 11. Mobile internet has been curtailed in some areas.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in a tweet: "The Honourable Supreme Court has given its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. This verdict shouldn’t be seen as a win or loss for anybody. Be it Ram Bhakti or Rahim Bhakti, it is imperative that we strengthen the spirit of Rashtra Bhakti. May peace and harmony prevail!"

As it happened:

Board of Trustees
09:50 AM November 09, 2019
Role of government
09:50 AM November 09, 2019
The scene outside India's Supreme Court in New Delhi.
Land
09:43 AM November 09, 2019
Paramilitary forces patrol Ayodhya on Saturday morning, November 9, 2019.
Alternate land to be given to Muslims
09:41 AM November 09, 2019
Structure on land
09:39 AM November 09, 2019
Paramilitary forces patrol Ayodhya on Saturday morning, November 9, 2019.
Violation of law
09:36 AM November 09, 2019
What evidence shows
09:36 AM November 09, 2019
Adverse possession not established
09:33 AM November 09, 2019
No evidence
09:32 AM November 09, 2019
Title over land
09:31 AM November 09, 2019
Courtyards
09:29 AM November 09, 2019
'Adverse possession'
09:28 AM November 09, 2019
Sunni Waqf Board
09:23 AM November 09, 2019
'Supreme Court must be circumspect'
09:22 AM November 09, 2019
Both faiths
09:20 AM November 09, 2019
Underline structure
09:18 AM November 09, 2019
Court Ruling
09:18 AM November 09, 2019

This court must accept faith and belief of worshippers

09:15 AM November 09, 2019

Suit filed by Nirmohi Akhara is barred by limitation: SC

'Deity Ram Lalla is a juristic person'
09:12 AM November 09, 2019
Chief Justice Gogoi says
09:06 AM November 09, 2019
Chief Justice reading verdict
09:05 AM November 09, 2019
Verdict expected at 9am UAE time (10.30 India time)
08:47 AM November 09, 2019
High alert
08:40 AM November 09, 2019

Earlier report

India's Supremec court is expected to pass pass the judgement on appeals against a 2010 verdict by a three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court.

The three judges justices Sibghat Ullah Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Dharam Veer Sharma had handed over the disputed 2.77 acres of land to the three main petitioners — Ramlalla Virajman (deity Ram), Nirmohi Akhara (a Hindu sect) and Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board.

134-year-old dispute

The 134-old dispute has dominated social and political discourse for most of independent India and shaped the national psyche, built and demolished political careers and killed thousands in violent communal riots and bomb blasts across the country.

The dispute especially dominated the discourse since 1986 when a court in Faizabad ordered to remove locks on the mosque, allowing Hindus to worship at the disputed site.

In the subsequent years, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party launched a nationwide rally to mobilise support for a grand temple at the disputed site. This nationwide movement led to the demolition of Babri mosque by a mob of Hindu extremists, triggering more riots across the country.

The Supreme Court bench on Saturday passed the judgement after hearing all sides for 40 days till October 16. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had appointed a mediation panel headed by a retired judge to seek an out of court settlement of the dispute.

The mediation panel received presentation from several parties, including Sunni Waqf Board which indicated it is willing to give up its claim on the disputed land. Legal experts interviewed by Gulf News earlier said the final verdict was expected to draw heavily on this mediation process.

How the dispute started

Placing of idols

On the night of December 22/23rd, 1949 idols were placed inside the Babri Mosque.

On January 1, 1950, a suit was filed by Gopal Singh Visharad in the court of Civil Judge at Faizabad in which temporary injuction was granted against the removal of Idols from the Mosque as well as for of Puja. The temporary injunction was modified on January 19, 1950 and the court allowed the Darshan and Puja.

Opening of locks

On February 1, 1986, a court in Faizabad directed the District Magistrate and S.S.P. of Faizabad to remove the locks of Babri Masjid, allowing people to enter the main building of the mosque for Darshan and Puja of the idols that were placed just below the middle dome of the Masjid.

This court order was challenged by Mohammed Hashim before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on February 3, 1986. The court ordered to maintain status-quo of the building in suit. In May 1986, Sunni Waqf Board filed another petition in the high court.

Suits filed

Since then a seriers of suits were filed by Gopal Singh Visharad, Param Hans Ram Chardra Das and Nirmohi Akhara. The fourth suit was filed by the UP Sunni Central Board of Waqf and eight other Muslims in a representative capacity on December 18, 1961 in Faizabad court. All these four suits were consolidated but the hearings never started. The case was shifted to Lucknow High Court. In 1989, Deoki Nandan Agarwal files a suit on behalf of deity Ram in Allahabad High Court.

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