SC verdict on Ayodhya today

Why in news?
  • A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will deliver its judgment in the crossappeals filed by the Hindu and Muslim sides challenging the three­way partition of the disputed 2.77 acres of the Ramjanmabhoomi­Babri Masjid land among Ram Lalla, the Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board in September 2010 on 9th Nov, 2019.
More in news
  • Hearings began on August 6: after a mediation attempt across the religious divide “to heal hearts and minds” failed to deliver.
  • Ayodhya case comes a close second to the longest heard case: in the SC — the historic Kesavananda Bharati case.
  • Testimonies in the appeals alone ran into 54 volumes: consisting of 13,426 pages, which have been translated into English and filed by the Uttar Pradesh government.
  • Total of 533 exhibits translated by various parties.
  • Allahabad HC’s Justice S.U. Khan: one of the three judges whose opinions in the case are under appeal in SC, had described the disputed Ramjanmabhoomi­ Ayodhya property as a “small piece of land where angels fear to tread”.
  • “Innumerable landmines” involved in the case and the decades of religious tension may have played a part in the appeals having to spend eight long years in cold storage in the top court.
  • Ayodhya Act of 1993:
(1) Presently, the Centre, under the Ayodhya Act, is holding the acquired land, which includes the disputed area, as a non­partisan, statutory receiver.

  • The Judgement:
(1) The judgment will come after a marathon 40 ­day hearing.
(2) The five judges took less than a month to deliver the judgment.
(3) The Bench, other than Chief Justice Gogoi, comprised Justices S.A. Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer. CJI Gogoi is retiring on November 17.
(4) Though the deadline was October 18, the lawyers wrapped up arguments early and the Bench reserved verdict on October 16.
  • Hindu side Arguments:
(1) Main argument of the Hindu side was that faith and belief that Lord Ram was born exactly under what was the central dome of the Babri Masjid — before it was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992 — was consistent across centuries.
(2) Travelogues, writings and the Skanda Purana mentioned Ramjanmabhoomi as a place of special religious significance to the Hindus.
(3
Sources
The Hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 9th Nov 2019
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