SC on Ayodhya: Disputed Land to Hindus, Alternate Site for Muslims

Here are the key highlights of the historic Supreme Court judgement on the Ayodhya land dispute.

Here’s all you need to know about the Ayodhya verdict.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court has declared the verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case ordering for the disputed land to be given to Hindus, and an alternate plot measuring up to 5 acres to be given Muslims. Here’s what you need to know about the verdict:

Inner Courtyard to Centre-led Trust

The Supreme Court directed that Hindus will get the disputed land in Ayodhya; subject to conditions. The inner courtyard will be handed over to a Centre-led Trust. The Supreme Court ordered that a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

However, the SC said that the right of Ram Lalla to the disputed property is subject to the maintenance of peace, law and order and tranquility. Furthermore, the apex court also ordered the government to take measures to maintain the law and order after the verdict.

Suitable Five Acres to Sunni Waqf Board

The Supreme Court has ordered that the Centre will allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque at a prominent site in Ayodhya.

Babri Masjid Not Built on Vacant Land

The Supreme Court also said that the Babri Masjid was not built on a vacant land and said that the underlying structure was not of Islamic origin.

Ram Lalla Virajman is Juridical Person

Ahead of pronouncing the verdict, the five-judge bench said Ram Janmbhoomi isn’t a legal personality but the deity Ram Lalla Virajman is a juristic entity. Citing the ASI report, the Supreme Court further noted that the Babri Masjid hadn’t been built on vacant land, adding that there isn't enough to prove that it was built on a temple.

Dismisses Nirmohi Akhara Claim

Before pronouncing the judgment, the SC bench unanimously barred the claim of Nirmohi Akhara, saying it is not a “shebait" and also dismissed the Single Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Shia Waqf Board challenging the 1946 order of the Faizabad Court.

The SC hearings in the case lasted 40 days, from August to October, during which they heard arguments from the three key parties in the dispute – the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla Virajman. The judgment settled the long-running title dispute on the land where the Babri Masjid stood before its demolition in 1992.