Set up a trust to build a temple and allot 5 acres of land for the mosque: Supreme Court to Centre

November 9, 2019

The historical verdict of the 70-years dispute of Babri Masjid and birth-place of Lord Rama is now out. The SC has ordered the Centre to set up a trust to build a temple, as well as allot alternative five acres of land for the construction of a mosque. The decision was taken unanimously by 5-membered bench of judges, headed by CJI Gogoi.

The apex court has ordered the Centre to formulate a scheme in three months to set up a board of trustees for construction of a temple on the 2.77-acres of the disputed land. It has also ordered to allot the 5-acres of land to Sunni Waqf Board for a mosque. The court also said that the destruction of the mosque in 1992 happened in breach of SC orders. The desecration of the mosque by placing idols in 1949 and its demolition was contrary to the law, it added.

The Supreme Court (SC) also appreciated the efforts of the mediators in the Ayodhya mediation panel and said that they came very close to a “settlement”. A panel of mediators led by justice FMI Khalifullah had failed to reach a consensus in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case. The inability of the panel to reach a consensus was followed by the Supreme Court convening a day-to-day hearing of the case and concluding the hearing procedure in 40 days.

In September 2010, the Allahabad High Court upheld the Hindu claim that the mosque was built on the spot believed to be Rama’s birthplace and awarded the site of the central dome for the construction of a Rama temple. Muslims were also awarded one-third area of the site for the construction of a mosque. The decision was subsequently appealed by all parties to the Supreme Court, wherein a five-judge bench heard a title suite from August to October 2019.

Mumbai, Bengaluru and many other cities levied Section 144 as a precaution when the Supreme Court announced the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title case in Ayodhya. Delhi Police also issued prohibitory orders across the capital. The Himachal Pradesh police have issued a warning against the circulation of fake news in the wake of the Supreme Court’s verdict. Strict penal action will be taken against those who indulge in the circulation of fake news, morphed pictures, doctored videos or any inflammatory material, said Solan Superintendent of Police Madhusudan Sharma in a statement on Saturday morning.

Supreme Court concludes hearing in Ayodhya case

Sugat Srivastava

October 16, 2019

By: Talat Mohsin

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court concluded hearing on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case and reserved the order on the case.

The case was heard by a bench of 5 judges, headed by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. The other members included were Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachur, Ashok Bhushan and S A Zaheer. The bench heard both the Hindu and Muslim sides for 40 days. The court had finished hearing one hour before the deadline.

The hearing for the case has been going on for the past 40 days. The court has asked the parties to give written notes on relief in the next three days, that is, by 19th October.

The day to day proceedings of the case started after August 6 after the two parties could not amicably come on a settlement. After that, the court had revised the deadline for the case. The case had entered an important stage on October 14 when the court resumed the proceedings after Dussehra break.

As the pressure built upon the court to end the proceedings before deadline, the tempers ran high in the court today. Rajeev Dhavan, the senior advocate representing the Muslim council teared up a map that allegedly showed the exact birthplace of Lord Ram. The pictorial map was presented in the court by Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, who was representing the All India Hindu Mahasabha.

Dhavan had objected to Singh’s use of the map in the hearing as it was not registered evidence, and he asked the bench what should he do. The bench sarcastically told him to tear it up, which he took in its literal term and he proceeded to tear the map. Dhavan’s actions caused an uproar in court and he was asked to maintain the decorum of the court or else walk away from the hearing.

Tag: babri masjid

Set up a trust to build a temple and allot 5 acres of land for the mosque: Supreme Court to Centre

Supreme Court concludes hearing in Ayodhya case