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

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."

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.

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.

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!"

This court must accept faith and belief of worshippers

Suit filed by Nirmohi Akhara is barred by limitation: SC

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.