After over half a century long dispute, a court in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat declared on Monday, 5 February, that the site in question is the Mahabharat-era 'Lakshagriha’ and not a graveyard and dargah of Sufi saint Sheikh Badruddin, as claimed by the petitioners.
“The plaintiff has completely failed to prove the present case, due to which in the opinion of the court, dismissal of the plaintiff's suit seems justified,” the court ruled in its order. Civil Judge Junior Division of the District and Session Court of Baghpat Shivam Dwivedi dismissed the petition, saying there was neither a graveyard nor a dargah at the site in Barnawa.
The decision comes just weeks after the Allahabad High Court allowed the Hindu prayers to be offered inside the Vyas Ka Tekhana (sealed basement area) of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. Last month, the Ram Temple was inaugurated in Ayodhya, where once the Babri Masjid stood and was demolished in December 1992.