Ayodhya: temple at disputed site, alternative land for mosque -Governance Now

Ayodhya: temple at disputed site, alternative land for mosque

SC verdict balanced, says Ram Lalla counsel: Waqf Board to seek review

GN Bureau | November 9, 2019

#Supreme Court #Babri Mosque #Ram Janmabhoomi #Ayodhya

A resolution to the long-pending dispute which has to an extent shaped the recent history of India was in sight as the supreme court on Saturday paved the way for the construction of a temple at the disputed site where the Babri Mosque stood for long but is held to be Lord Ram's birth place.

A five-judge bench headed by the chief justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, gave a unanimous judgment after months of daily hearings. The apex court allotted the disputed plot of land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust for temple construction, and directed the government to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building afresh a mosque.

The bench, also comprising justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, said in a 906-page verdict the possession of the 2.77 acre land rights will be handed over to the Ram Lalla, one of the three litigants. The land possession, however, will remain with a central government receiver.

It directed for the construction of the mosque at a “prominent site” and also for formation of a trust within three months for the construction of the temple.

While CS Vaidyanathan, counsel for deity Ram Lalla, termed the verdict as very balanced and a victory of people, Zafaryab Jilani of UP Sunni Central Waqf Board – one of the litigants – said there were a lot of contradictions in the judgment and they would seek a review.

Hindus believe the disputed site in Ayodhya, in Faizabad of Uttar Pradesh, is the birthplace of Lord Ram. The Babri mosque came up at the site in 16th century, allegedly by destroying a Ram temple. In 20th century, amid strained ties, various Hindu groups started claiming rights to the site and calling for the construction of a Ram temple there.

It was in the 1980s that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP organised nationwide campaigns to push the demand. On December 6, 1992, Hindu activists assembled at the site for a ‘kar seva’ started attacking the mosque and razed much of it to ground within the day.

The event, considered a watershed in the history of independent India, triggered communal violence in many parts of the country. The site was then placed under the control of the government.

Ahead of the verdict, the government has now taken precautions to avoid any untoward incidents given the sensitive history of the case. Various states, especially Uttar Pradesh, issued prohibitory orders ahead of the verdict.

Comments

Other News

Climate actions being implemented to deal with impact of heat waves

India’s climate actions cut across various sectors and are being implemented through various programs and schemes of different union ministries, departments and state/ union territory governments. The government of India through concerned ministries and departments organises workshops, exhibiti

Banks must hear borrowers before declaring their accounts as frauds: SC

In a judgment with far-reaching implications, the Supreme Court has held that the civil consequences of an account being declared as fraud under the Reserve Bank of India (Frauds Classification and Reporting by Commercial Banks and Select FIs) Directions, 2016 or its Master Directions on Fraud amount to ci

India’s forest cover increases by 5,516 sq km in four years

The Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest ISFR 2021, there is a

Steps taken to meet higher power demand of April-May

While the average growth of energy requirement in the country for 2023-24 viz-a-viz 2022-23 has been estimated as 4.9%, the months of April and May have been projected as high demand period. During the current year, the peak demand is expected to be around 229 GW during the summer period. The government ha

Millets to make comeback in army ration after half a century

As the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Indian Army has steered introduction of millets flour in the rations of soldiers. This landmark decision will ensure troops are supplied with native and traditional grains after over half a century, when these were discontinued in favour

Central Bank Digital Currency has game-changing potential

When discussing digital currency, you might think of one or two well-known varieties. There is the digital representation of currency that you access with mobile and online banking services. This currency is the liability of a commercial bank. There is also cryptocurrency, a digital medium of exchange issu