Published 11:25 IST, November 9th 2019
Ayodhya Verdict: 5-acres alternate land to be allotted for Muslims
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has held that Sunni Waqf Board will get five acres of alternate land, which will be accorded either by the state or Centre
Delivering the landmark judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case, the Supreme Court on Saturday, delivered a unanimous judgment in the title suit of the disputed area awarding it to the Hindu parties for the construction of a temple. It also directed the Centre to come up with a scheme within three months to set up a trust which will hand over the outer courtyard and inner courtyard of the site for construction of a temple. The Court also clarified that the rights of "Ram Lalla" to the disputed property is subject to maintenance of law and order and communal harmony.
Apart from this, the SC stated that an alternate land of 5 acres is to be allotted to Muslims, either by the central govt or the State govt, in a suitable and prominent place in Ayodhya.
The SC also said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) reports show that the Babri Masjid was not built on vacant land and that the underlying structure was not of Islamic origin. The court maintained the suit by Sunni Waqf Board and held that it's not barred by limitation. However, the Board has not been able to prove adverse possession of the disputed land, the court observed.
The judgement by the Supreme Court on Saturday effectively quashes the Allahabad High Court judgement of 2010 that divided the disputed land to three parties – Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Lalla, and the Sunni Waqf Board.
Ayodhya case in SC
The five-judge bench was constituted on January 25, 2019, to hear the long-contested Ayodhya dispute. As the case progressed after the Centre handed over disputed Ayodhya site to original owners, the bench created a three-member mediation panel. On August 2, a day after the mediation panel submitted the report of mediation to the SC in a sealed cover, the SC stated that the mediation had failed and began day-to-day hearings - which ran for 40 days, along with a parallel mediation process continuing. The SC announced that it would wrap up the hearing on October 17 and announce its judgment by November 17. Finally, on October 16, the Supreme Court concluded its hearing, reserved its order and the mediation panel submitting its settlement report before the Supreme Court after the Sunni Waqf board surrendered its claim over the disputed land in Ayodhya.
Updated 13:51 IST, November 9th 2019