Black Day: Babri Masjid dispute ends in favour of Indian Hindus

NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Saturday ruled the Hindus will get Ayodhya land and an alternate piece of land should be allotted to Muslims to balance the claims of the both communities, according to media reports.

The unanimous verdict on the long-running Ayodhya land dispute announced by a five-member bench of the Indian apex court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The bench also comprised of Justices S. A. Bobde, D. Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer.

The bench its decision observed that there was enough material to prove that the Babri Masjid was not constructed on a vacant land. There was a structure there and it was not an Islamic structure, bench said.

The Supreme Court bench declared demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 as a violation of law. It also said that Sunni Waqf Board has not been able to establish its claim of adverse possession as evidence shows that Hindus were not barred from entering the premises before 1857.

Title over land cannot be decided on the basis of faith and belief, but as per law, the court said. Muslims offered prayer inside the inner courtyard while the same was done by Hindus in the outer courtyard, the court said.

Supreme Court observed that the mosque was not abandoned; mere cessation of prayers by Muslims cannot lead to inference that Babri Masjid was abandoned and they lost possession.

The disputed site was used for offering worship by the devotees by both faiths.

Ahead of the verdict announcement, security agencies were placed on high alert and the government has sent thousands of police and para-military forces to Ayodhya. Schools and universities in Uttar Pradesh state where Ayodhya is located have been shut till November 11 and mobile internet has been curtail in some areas.