A five-justice Constitution bench of the Supreme Court ruled on Saturday in a unanimous verdict that the disputed land at Ayodhya must be given to a trust for construction of a Ram temple and ordered the Central government to formulate a scheme within three months. It ordered that the Muslims must be given alternate land. It ordered that the Sunni Waqf Board must be given five acres of alternate land.
The Supreme Court observed the title dispute was a matter that could not be decided on the basis of faith and belief, but as per law. The Supreme Court held the Sunni Waqf Board, the main Muslim petitioner, and Ram Lalla, the deity, must get relief.
The Supreme Court first dismissed a special leave petition filed by the Shia Waqf Board against a Faizabad court’s order of 1946 that had ruled the Babri Masjid was a Sunni mosque. The Supreme Court observed the Babri Masjid was “built by Mir Baqi” on order of Mughal Emperor Babar and idols were placed in the mosque in 1949. The Supreme Court also ruled that the Nirmohi Akhara was not a Shabait (devotee) of Lord Ram and noted Ram Janma Bhoomi “not a juristic person”, holds Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled that the report of the Archaeological Survey of India on Ayodhya could not be brushed aside and observed the Babri Masjid was not built on vacant land. Gogoi said the evidence showed a “temple existed at the site”. The Supreme Court ruled that the report of the Archaeological Survey of India on Ayodhya could not be brushed aside and observed the Babri Masjid was not built on vacant land. Gogoi said the evidence showed a “temple existed at the site”. However, the Supreme Court said the ASI report did not support whether the temple was demolished. The Supreme Court noted the “faith and belief” of the Hindus that Ram was born in Ayodhya was “undisputed”.
