A group photo of the five-judge bench comprised of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi (C) flanked by (L-R) Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Justice S Abdul Nazeer after delivering the verdict on Ayodhya land case, at Supreme Court in New Delhi. (PTI)
Ayodhya Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid Case Verdict LIVE News Updates: In a unanimous judgment, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court Saturday allotted the disputed Ayodhya land to a new Trust. It ordered the allotment of an alternative piece of five acres of land to the Muslims for a mosque.
The Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, said the Hindu litigants were able to establish their case that they were in possession of the outer courtyard. It added that the Muslim side was unable to prove their exclusive possession of the inner courtyard.
READ Full judgment | Highlights of Supreme Court Ayodhya verdict
The apex court has directed the Centre to frame a scheme under which it will constitute a body within three months to hand over the inner and outer courtyard to the new trust. It said the Sunni Wakf Board would be granted five acres of land in a “suitable, prominent place in Ayodhya”.
Read | Explained | Short history of an old Sangh Parivar demand | Why Hindus won claim over both the outer and inner courtyard | Why SC rejected the Allahabad HC judgment | What is adverse possession, the Muslim claim SC rejected?
Supreme Court Ayodhya-Ram temple verdict LIVE UPDATES: RSS and BJP leaders have reached out to the Muslim community. (File Photo)
Internet services resume in Aligarh, 24 hours after the Supreme Court pronounced the Ayodha Verdict. However, security has been beefed up as Barawafat (Eid-e-Milaad) processions commence.
The usually bustling Bhendi Bazar market wore a deserted look Saturday with fewer people on the streets. Even as some anticipated communal tension following the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute case, shops and establishments in the alleys of market lifted their shutters to indicate that it was “business as usual”. Khalid Hakim, owner of Noor Mohammadi shop, said he had opened the eatery at 6 am. “There was not a single customer in the morning when we opened for breakfast. Business has been very slow throughout the day.”
“IT IS a historic verdict. It has sent out a message of peace and camaraderie to the world,” said Kameshwar Choupal, the Dalit VHP leader who laid the first foundation stone for the proposed Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya in November 1989 — three years before the demolition of the Babri Masjid. “We have nothing against the Supreme Court giving five acres for a mosque. We were only interested in the land for Ram Lalla Virajman… The verdict has come after 30 years but I am happy it came in my lifetime,” says the 65-year-old former BJP MLC who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Supaul. Read more
The RSS on Saturday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court granting the disputed land in Ayodhya to Hindus, but avoided spelling out its stand on the award of five acres to Muslims for a mosque in the temple town. Addressing the media after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the Ayodhya temple-mosque title suit, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the matter was now with the government and that the RSS wanted it to take initiatives that would resolve all disputes. He said the question of the allotment of land to Muslims would be dealt with once the process of implementation of the court order began.
Around 8 am, in the lush lawn outside the Supreme Court, an advocate from the Nirmohi Akhara had already taken his place in front of television cameras. “It is a 150-year-old fight, an ancient fight,” he told mediapersons. “At the end of this, the nation will win.” Over two hours before the Ayodhya verdict was announced, the lawn outside the country’s top court had become a venue for hectic conversations and speculation. Read full story
THE most prominent face of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, L K Advani remained out of limelight on Saturday, not venturing out of his house and waiting till the evening to issue a statement saying the Supreme Court order had “vindicated” his stand. Among the first visitors to the 30, Prithviraj Road, residence of the BJP veteran, who turned 92 on Friday, was Uma Bharti, who came some time after noon. Also a prominent figure in the temple movement, she is accused along with Advani in the Babri demolition case. Read more
The birth of the Ramayana, as we know it, is in an act of grief. A nishada hunter strikes down the male of a pair of krauncha birds. The unslain female bird utters a mournful cry. Unable to bear the separation, she too dies. This primal scene of crime, and the anguish it generates, prompts Valmiki to compose the Ramayana. But the deep sorrow of that crime haunts the story. Ram has his triumphal moments — vanquishing Ravana, establishing Ram Rajya. Ram always sides with duty, some exalted high ideal that makes his own desires irrelevant. That is his greatness. But there is also no escaping the fact that Ram himself never finds inner repose, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta. Read the opinion
Jaipur Commissionerate has ordered for the suspension of internet services to be extended till tomorrow following the Ayodhya verdict. (ANI)
Both the Samajwadi Party and BSP on Saturday said that the Supreme Court’s verdict paving the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya should be accepted by all. Calling the verdict “historic”, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, said, “The verdict in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri mosque issue will be remembered as a historic decision in the history of India. In 1986, Samajwadis had presented their side that the issue should be resolved by the two sides through talks and the court’s decision in connection with the case should be accepted. As the issue could not be resolved through talks, the Supreme Court had to give a decision. As per the Constitution, accepting the Supreme Court decision is mandatory… Even this decision will be accepted by all.”
In trying to find a solution for a dispute between two religions claiming exclusive rights of worship over a piece of land, the Supreme Court emphasised on the secular and inclusive character of the nation and the Constitution several times. Though the word ‘secular’ appears just 24 times in the over thousand-page judgment, it underlines the importance of the principle. Read more
AS THE All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) contemplates a review of the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya and whether to accept the five acres offered for a mosque in lieu of the disputed plot, there were differing voices within the community on the way forward. Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman Zufar Farooqui said the board, one of the main litigants in the case, would not file a review petition. “The board will not go in for any review of the apex court’s order or file any curative petition,” Farooqui said at a press conference in Lucknow, adding that “it would not look good” if any of the Muslim litigants do not accept the verdict. Read the full story
Since his first brush with Ayodhya three decades ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political life has been enmeshed with the issue. Now, with the Supreme Court delivering its verdict on the decades-long dispute, Modi is heading the government that will oversee the construction of the Ram temple there. The BJP organisation man who coordinated a part of the first leg of the movement, is today the PM who, after the apex court verdict, urged the nation to build a new India without bitterness. READ MORE
The Supreme Court has said that Hindus have established “a clear case of a possessory title” to the outside courtyard by virtue of “long, continued and unimpeded worship” at the Ram Chabutra and other objects of religious significance.
It has said that according to the Hindu witnesses, the Hindus used to offer prayer to the Kasauti stone pillars placed inside the mosque. “Muslim witnesses have acknowledged the presence of symbols of Hindu religious significance both inside and outside the mosque,” the SC has said. READ MORE
The Supreme Court has said that Hindus have established “a clear case of a possessory title” to the outside courtyard by virtue of “long, continued and unimpeded worship” at the Ram Chabutra and other objects of religious significance. It has said that according to the Hindu witnesses, the Hindus used to offer prayer to the Kasauti stone pillars placed inside the mosque. “Muslim witnesses have acknowledged the presence of symbols of Hindu religious significance both inside and outside the mosque,” the SC has said. Importantly, the SC points out that entry into the three-domed structure “was possible only by seeking access through either of the two doors on the eastern and northern sides of the outer courtyard which were under the control of the Hindu devotees”. READ MORE
“Ayodhya toh bas jhanki hai, Kashi Mathura baaki hai (Ayodhya is a preview, Kashi and Mathura are next in line),” was the BJP and VHP’s war cry of the early ’90s at the peak of the Ram Temple movement leading up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. After today’s verdict that clears the way for a Ram temple at the site, sources in the Sangh Parivar said, this won’t be invoked. At least, for now. READ MORE
THERE WAS some fear and some hope. But after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, the mood in Ayodhya was that of relief. “I cannot speak on behalf of others but for me, the case is closed,” Iqbal Ansari, who is one of the litigants in the case, told The Indian Express. “Accha hai, bawal khatam hua (It’s good that the issue has been resolved),” said Altaf Ansari, the young nephew of Iqbal Ansari. At Ground Zero of the decades-old case, the day began with business as usual: Pilgrims started arriving at the makeshift Ramlalla temple and Hanuman Garhi, shops selling puja material opened on time, and the local priests were busy preparing for daily pujas. READ MORE
Reliance on records of European travellers, lack of evidence from the Muslim side to prove continuous, uninterrupted and exclusive possession prior to 1856, treating the outer and inner courtyard of the disputed structure as one unit in a significant departure from the Allahabad High Court verdict — a combination of these factors tilted the Constitution Bench verdict in the Ayodhya title dispute against the Muslim side. READ MORE
AS THE All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) contemplates a review of the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya and whether to accept the five acres offered for a mosque in lieu of the disputed plot, there were differing voices within the community on the way forward. Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman Zufar Farooqui said the board, one of the main litigants in the case, would not file a review petition. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which had split in 1992 over a “moderate” stand on the issue, also said it respected the judgment. The AIMPLB, however, expressed “grave dissatisfaction”, calling the verdict “neither equity nor justice”. READ MORE
Minutes after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit case, the Congress said Saturday it respects the decision and declared it was in favour of construction of a Ram temple. There was no mention of Babri Masjid, the rebuilding of which then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had publicly committed to in 1993 — or the fact that one side had several questions about the verdict. READ MORE
The annual procession during Eid-e-Milad, falling on November 10 this year, has been cancelled in Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara by members of the Sirat-un-Nabi committees of the respective cities Saturday afternoon. The decision was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the Ayodhya verdict given by the Supreme Court. READ MORE
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated Saturday that he is thankful to the people of Uttar Pradesh as well as the entire nation for accepting the Ayodhya verdict with a positive outlook.
The Supreme Court's judgement in the Ayodhya case will shape the political and social landscape of India, the US media reported on Saturday, noting the steps taken by the Indian government to maintain law and order in the country after the verdict. For all the case's historical origins, “its judgment will help shape India's political and social landscape,” The Wall Street Journal, which has been following the case closely, said in a news dispatch from New Delhi.
Most of the mainstream American media, which reported about the verdict, underscored that the ruling by the five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was unanimous. It also noted the steps taken by the government to maintain law and order in the country and across the board for overall acceptance of the apex court's judgement in this regard.
The Indian-American community on Saturday lauded the Supreme Court's historic verdict in the Ayodhya case, saying the decision in the decades-old land dispute is equally a victory for both Hindus and Muslims. "The ruling by the Indian Supreme Court is equally a victory for Hindus and Muslims, as it is for archeologists, historians, and the Indian legal system," the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a statement. (PTI)
No untoward incidents were reported in Telangana and the situation remained peaceful on Saturday in the aftermath of the Supreme Courts verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case, police said. Security was beefed up in all sensitive areas of the state by deploying additional forces to prevent any untoward incidents ahead of the verdict and all necessary measures were made to maintain peace and law and order, they said.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in Punjab after the Supreme Court announced its verdict in the Ayodhya case on Saturday, state DGP Dinkar Gupta said. "The situation is peaceful, no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere," the Punjab director general of police told PTI. "We are taking required precautionary measures. We have talked to leaders of various faiths," he added.
Deendayal Parisar, the BJP's headquarters in Madhya Pradesh, was decorated with earthen lamps on Saturday to "express gratitude" following the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict. "These diyas have been lit to express gratitude to the workers, leaders and saints who worked for the legal solution of the Ayodhya dispute. This is also to pray for peace and harmony in society," said MP BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal. (PTI)
I join all my countrymen in wholeheartedly welcoming the historic judgement delivered by the five-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court today in the Ayodhya matter.
After PM Modi's address to the nation, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a press conference congratulated all Indians on the verdict and said it will forward the policy of one India. he further said that he is glad that the entire country has accepted the verdict. He also said that Ayodhya will once again represent India and UP globally.
We hope the apex court verdict will be accepted and honoured throughout the country. Considering everything, the Court has tried to attend to all sides. If anyone has any submission, they can further submit before the Supreme Court: Baharul Islam Majumder
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s judgment in the decades-old vexed Ayodhya case, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the most significant Muslim political party in the country, dissuaded people from engaging in violence. “We respect the verdict of the Supreme Court. People must not engage in violence. They must exercise self-restraint,” Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, state president of IUML, told indianexpress.com.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 5 pm on Saturday following the unanimous verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, where it ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land in Ayodhya would be handed over to a trust for the construction of a Ram Mandir.
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We have always maintained that we will accept the verdict of the Supreme Court. I hope the country will move towards development. As far as filing a review petition is concerned, I don't agree with it: Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 5 PM. The address comes in the backdrop of Ayodhya verdict and the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.
Today's day will be written in golden letters in the history of India. Everyone has accepted the verdict. I will be going to Ayodhya on 24 November. This is a red-letter day in the country's history. I remember Bal Thackeray, Ashok Singhal on this day: Uddhav Thackeray on Ayodhya Verdict
Maharashtra care taker chief minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the supreme court verdict on Ram temple at Ayodhya. Addressing media at BJP headquarters in Mumbai he said the verdict should not be analysed as anybody's victory or defeat. Instead , it will unite and strengthen all democratic values. It restores Bharatiya Asmita. Saab ka saath , saab ka vikas taking people towards greater nation building for New India. I thank people for restoring peace and normalcy in Mumbai and across Maharashtra.
Hailing the Supreme Court judgment on the Ayodhaya issue, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday asserted "truth and justice" have prevailed and stated that the verdict should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat. Addressing a press conference at the Sangh's central office here in Jhandewala, Bhagwat said,"We welcome this decision of the Supreme Court. This case was going on for decades and it has reached the right conclusion. This should not be seen as a win or loss. We also welcome everyone's efforts to maintain peace and harmony in society."
Everyone should respect the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute and maintain harmony, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday while noting that this is the time to promote brotherhood, trust and love for all in the country. "The Supreme Court has pronounced its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. While honouring this decision of the court, we all should maintain mutual harmony. This is a time for brotherhood, trust and love among us all Indians," he said.
Drones are being used to carry out surveillance in parts of the national capital in view of the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute, case officials said. Drone surveillance, meeting with public and area patrolling were conducted in several parts of the city including areas of northeast Delhi, they said. Prohibitory orders have been issued across the national capital to maintain public order, police said.
BSP president Mayawati appealed to everyone to maintain an amicable atmosphere after the Supreme Court announced its verdict in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. "While respecting the historic, unanimous decision given by the Supreme Court in relation to the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute today as per the secular Constitution of Param Pujya Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, all future action should only be taken in an amicable atmosphere. This is an appeal and suggestion," the Bahujan Samaj Party chief said in a tweet in Hindi.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) issues advisory to all channels and cable TV operators to strictly adhere to the Programme Code during discussion, debates and reporting.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray welcomed the Supreme Court decision on Ram Janbhoomi-Babri masjid issue in Ayodhya while hoping for the construction of Ram temple on the land at the earliest.
"We need to thank the supreme court for giving justice to the issue. I welcome the court decision. Justice has been delivered to the long struggle for the Ram temple and many karsevaks who laid their lives in the struggle," Thackeray told reporters in the city.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said as the judgment has provided a judicial resolution to the fractious issue, there are certain premises of the verdict which are questionable. In a statement issued by the CPI(M), it said the top court in its verdict stated that the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992 was a violation of the law, hence cases pertaining to the demolition should be expedited and the guilty be punished.
"The Court has also appreciated the 1991 Places of Religious Worship Act. Adherence to this law should ensure that no such disputes on religious places are again raised and utilised," it said.
Further, it said that it had always sought to resolve the dispute by a judicial verdict if a negotiated settlement was not possible and appealed that there should be no proactive acts that would disrupt communal harmony.
Not satisfied with the SC's judgment, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the verdict of the court is final but not infallible, adding that Muslims should reject the 5-acres land as stated in the top court's order.
"We are not satisfied with the verdict. The Supreme Court is indeed supreme but not infallible. We have full faith in the Constitution, we were fighting for our right, we don't need 5 acres land as a donation. We should reject this 5 acres land offer, don't patronize us," he said.
What does the Supreme Court's Ayodhya's judgment means to the main parties involved? Nirmohi Akhara was one of the three parties to receive an equal share of the 2.77-acre disputed land in 2010 ruling by the Allahabad HC. The SC has now its suit, ruling it was barred by time limitation. The Sunni Waqf Board's suit was found to be within time limitation, but said it was unable to prove adverse possession. The SC dismissed a proposal by the Shia Waqf Board. Read more here.
With the Ayodhya verdict coming on the same day as the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has objected to the timing of the judgment. He said he was "deeply saddened" at the "insensitivity" shown at such a joyous occasion, reported PTI.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court has listed out the “net result” of the “evidentiary record”. It has said that accordingly, its relief would have to be “moulded in a manner which preserves the constitutional values of justice, fraternity, human dignity and the equality of religious belief”. Read the court’s findings, in the words of the judgment.
The five-judge Constitution Bench that delivered the judgment in the Ayodhya case said that while Muslims never lost possession of the disputed land, they could not assert the right of adverse possession. What is adverse possession? Click here to read our explainer.
Union Home Minister and BJP national president Amit Shah Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute and appealed people to accept this decision with ease. He also expressed confidence that the judgment will prove to be a milestone in itself.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is at Dera Baba Nanak for the inauguration of opening of the Kartarpur corridor, said that SC's verdict on Ayodhya should not be seen as a victory or defeat of anyone and urged to introduce the underlying spirit of peaceful co-existence of India. "This decision should not be seen as a victory or defeat of anyone. Be it Ramabhakti or Rahimabhakti, this is the time for all of us to strengthen the spirit of Bhakti. My appeal to the countrymen is to maintain peace, harmony and unity," the PM said.
In case you're just joining us, here are the key points from the Supreme Court judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case.
The Congress party has issued a statement saying it respects the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case, and appealed to all parties concerned to abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in the Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony. "It is the responsibility of each one of us to reaffirm our tradition of mutual respect and unity among all that has defined our society through the ages," the party said.
In a 5-0 unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court has ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land in Ayodhya will be handed over to a trust for the construction of a Ram Mandir. The temple which will be constructed will be managed by the trust. How will this happen? We explain.
The Supreme Court is expected to upload its judgment in the Ayodhya dispute case shortly. The Indian Express has learn that it runs into 906 pages.
The Nirmohi Akhara has said it is grateful that the Supreme Court has recognised its fight, and ordered adequate representation in the Trust, which will be set up by the Centre to build the Temple in Ayodhya, reports news agency ANI. Its spokesperson Kartik Chopra said, "Nirmohi Akhara is grateful that the SC has recognised our fight of the last 150 years and given us adequate representation in the Trust to be set up by the Centre to build and manage the Temple."
Zafaryab Jilani, who represented the Sunni Central Waqf Board in the Supreme Court, said it was not satisfied with the judgment today, and would decide its future course of action. Speaking to the media, Jilani said, "We are not satisfied with (judgment). We do not consider this as just. We will read the entire judgment, and then decide whether to file review petition."
In case you missed it, here are the key points from the Supreme Court's Ayodhya judgment.
* Disputed Ayodhya land given to Ramjanmabhoomi Trust
* SC grants 2.77 acres of disputed land to deity Ram Lalla
* SC directs Centre to frame scheme within three months and set up a trust for construction of temple
* A mosque will be set up on five acres of land at a suitable, prominent place in Ayodhya
* Sunni Wakf Board unable to prove possession of outer courtyard
The Supreme Court has given the disputed Ayodhya land to the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust, and ordered that an alternative piece of land, which lies in a "suitable" and "prominent" place in Ayodhya be given to the Muslims to build a mosque. The judgment, which was unanimous by the five-judge Bench, was read by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi this morning.