The Ayodhya Verdict

On 9th of November, the Supreme Court of India finally delivered a judgment in the Ram Janambhumi-Babri Masjid dispute, which is considered to be one of the most controversial and enduring issues in the legal history of India.

- Kishor Kumar Kalita

The Apex court ordered the disputed land (2.77 acres) to be handed over to a trust (to be created by the Government Of India) to build the Ram Janmabhoomi (revered as the birthplace of Hindu deity, Ram) temple. The court also ordered the government to give an alternate 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque.

The history of the legal battle between different parties over the disputed land goes back to the year 1950 when Gopal Singh Visharad filed a title suit with the Allahabad High Court seeking an injunction to offer puja (worship) at the disputed site. Following this title suit, a similar suit had been filed by one Paramhans Das of Ayodhya which was later withdrawn. In 1959, the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu religious institution, who claimed itself as the custodian of the disputed area filed a third title suit seeking direction to hand over the charge of the disputed site. A fourth suit was filed by the Sunni Waqf Board for declaration and possession of the site. The Allahabad High Court bench began hearing the case in 2002, which was completed in 2010. On 30th September 2010, the High Court of Allahabad, the three-member bench comprising justices S. U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal, and D. V. Sharma, ruled that the disputed land be split into three parts. The site of the Ram Lalla idol would go to the party representing Ram Lalla Virajman (the installed Infant Rama deity); Nirmohi Akhara was to receive Sita Rasoi and Ram Chabutara, and the Sunni Waqf Board to receive the rest. The court also ruled that the status quo should be maintained for three months. All the three parties appealed against the division of disputed land to the Supreme Court.