Ayodhya case | Temple destroyed to build mosque: Ram Lalla's lawyer

The Hindu temple in Ayodhya was destroyed to construct a mosque at the disputed site, said advocate for Ram Lalla Virajman, one of the parties in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Ayodhya case, on Tuesday while referring to an ASI report.

Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the deity in the Ayodhya case, told the court that the ASI's report refers to figures of crocodiles and tortoise, which were alien to the Muslim culture. The submissions were made during the eighth day hearing in the case before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

The senior advocate is referring to other archaeological evidences from the ASI's report to buttress claims that the disputed area had a Hindu temple. The hearing is underway before the Supreme Court bench also comprising justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer.

READ | Ayodhya Case: Supreme Court to Commence Day-to-day Hearing On Tuesday In The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Land Dispute

The hearing in the Ayodhya case could not take place in the Supreme Court on Monday due to unavailability of one of the five judges of the Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Minutes before the commencement of the hearing, lawyers on both sides were told by the court staff that Justice S A Bobde was unavailable. 

Hearing in Ayodhya case

On Friday, Vaidyanathan had told the court that a "massive" temple of Lord Ram, dating back to the second century BC (Before Christ), existed at the disputed site in Ayodhya before the construction of Babri Masjid. The counsel appearing for 'Ram Lalla Virajman' had also told the five-judge Constitution bench that according to Hindu 'puranas' (sacred mythological writings) it is the belief of Hindus that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya and the court should not go beyond to see how rational it is.

What happened so far

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the Supreme court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and 'Ram Lalla Virajman'. Babri Masjid which was constructed at the disputed site of Ayodhya in the 16th century by Shia Muslim Mir Baqi, was demolished on December 6, 1992, leading to the protracted legal battle.

READ | Ayodhya case: On 5th Day Of Hearing, Arguments In Supreme Court On Whether Temple Existed On Disputed Site