Ayodhya Verdict

History

Ayodhya is regarded as one of the holiest sites for Hindus.

Even back in the early 1500s, Tulsidas referred to Ayodhya as the birthplace of the Hindu Deity Ram. Old historical accounts talk about a birth festival for a god that was celebrated every year in Ayodhya, although the mention of a specific god was never conclusively discovered.

Rise of the Dispute

• In 1946, an organization called the Akhil Bhartiya Ramayan Mahasabha started demanding the control of the site where the Babri Mosque(Babri Masjid) was built.
• In 1946, Hindu religious idols were said to appear in the temple magically. 
• To avoid riots, the Nehru Government allowed priests to perform poojas, turning the mosque in a temple.
• The Muslim community was not pleased, and cases were filed by the Sunni Waqf Board and the Akhil Bhartiya Ramayan Mahasabha.
• The courts declared that the land was under dispute and it also barred everyone from entering the temple till the verdict was pronounced

Demolition of the Mosque.

• Bharatiya Janata party was the face of the agitation during the 1980s. 
• Senior leaders of the party made several provocative speeches during the period and encouraged their supporters to claim the disputed land as their own.
• In the year 1986, a district judge ruled that the gates should be opened. This gave the campaign a boost.
• Bjp leaders and supporters started a Rath Yatra September 1990 and tried to enter the temple.
• Uttar Pradesh police force tried to stop them, and a riot ensued.
• Several people lost their lives.
• Fresh elections were called, and BJP won by a considerable margin.
• On 6th December 1992, several thousand people stormed the Babri Mosque, and the building was destroyed in a couple of hours.

Battle In the Court

• The first suit was filed by Gopal Singh, who sought permission from the Allahabad High Court to perform a pooja at the temple. 
• In 1959, another suit was filed by the Nirmohi Akhara, seeking control of the disputed land.
• Paramhans Das filed a similar case, but he withdrew it later.
• Sunni Waqf board also became a party in the case and sought possession of the disputed site.
• A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court pronounced their judgment on 30th September 2010.
• The decision stated that the land should be divided into three parts. 
• According to the judgment, The site where the idols were discovered should be given to the party representing Ram Lala.
• Nirmohi Akhara was awarded the piece of land called Sita Rasoi, and Sunni Waqf Board was awarded the rest of the property.
• The parties were not satisfied, and an appeal was filed in the Supreme Court of India.

Ayodhya Verdict

The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India recently gave its verdict in the Ramjanmabhumi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Before we dive into the details of the case, let’s take a look at the brief history of the case.

The Supreme Court’s Verdict

The judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India was delivered on 9th November 2019.

The key highlights of the judgments were:-

• The disputed land was handed to a trust for the purpose of building a grand temple dedicated to Lord Ram
• The government was instructed to provide a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board.
• The court also ruled that the suit filed by Nirmohi Akhara was barred by limitation.
• The parties have the option of filing a review petition.