SC paves way for temple at disputed site
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a “prominent” place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh In a bid to put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation, the court in a unanimous 5-0 verdict ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood will remain with a Central government receiver and be handed over to a Trust within three months for the construction of the temple
“The faith of the Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the demolished structure is undisputed,” ruled a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi weeks after a marathon 40-day hearing– the second longest in the history of apex court. Justice Gogoi is due to retire on November 17.
The verdict in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India’s history, runs into 1,045-page pages
The disputed site in Ayodhya was occupied by the 16th century Babri mosque which was destroyed
Press Trust of India
