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| Judiciary shows path for 'Reconciliation' in Ayodhya case v | | Divide disputed land equally between 3 parties, maintain status quo for 3 months vRam idol to stay in central dome | | EARLY TIMES DESK
New Delhi, Sept 30: In a keenly awaited judgment, widely termed as fair and acceptable, the Allahabad High Court today ruled by a majority verdict that the disputed land in Ayodhya be divided equally into three parts among Hindus and Muslims and Nirmohi Akhara, the third litigant in the case and that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Ram exists belongs to Hindus. But the status quo of the site would be maintained till it was divided.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has also dismissed the petition of the Sunni Waqf Board and said that the disputed site was the birth of Lord Ram and holds immense importance for Hindus.
In their separate judgements on the sensitive 60-year old title dispute on Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid structure, Justices S U Khan and Sudhir Agarwal said that the area under the central dome of the three-domed structure where Lord Ram's idol exists belongs to Hindus.
Bringing to an end the suspense over the 60-year-old Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit case, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday pronounced its verdict which has been widely welcomed, particularly by the rationalists as judiciary having shown the path of reconciliation in this highly controversial and sensitive issue.
The 2.7 acre area in Ayodhya has been divided into three parts. One area would go to the Nirmohi Akhara, one to Hindus and third to Muslims' Waqf Board.
However, the significant part of the judgement is that the three-judge Bench comprising Justice SU Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice DV Sharma unanimously agreed that the particular area where the idols are installed is the birthplace of Lord Ram and would remain with the Hindus. This means that the idols will not be removed from the site and the Hindus are free to build a temple there. .
Justices Khan and Agarwal decreed that the 2.7 acre land comprising the disputed site should be divided three equal parts and be given to Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the party representing 'Ram Lala Virajman' (Ram deity).
Justice Khan also said that Nirmohi Akhara will be allotted share including that part which is shown by the words 'Ram Chabutra' and 'Sita Rasoi' in the said map.
However, the third judge Justice D V Sharma ruled that that the disputed site is the birth place of Lord Ram and that the disputed building constructed by Mughal emperor Babur was built against the tenets of Islam and did not have the character of the mosque.
However, the Court has observed that status quo will have to be maintained , implying that the parties have three months to appeal against the verdict.
The Ayodhya dispute, which has been an emotive issue for decades and mired in a slew of legal suits involving Hindu and Muslim religious groups, dates back to the year 1528 when a mosque was built on the site by Mughal emperor Babar, which Hindus claim to be a birth place of Lord Ram and believe to be the spot where a Hindu temple existed since 11th Century.
Lawyers K.N. Bhat and Ravi Shankar Prasad, representing two of the Hindu litigants, said the bench had decided that Lord Ram was born where the Babri mosque was built in the 16th century.
"All the three judges, including S.U. Khan, are unanimous in accepting that the idol of Ram cannot be removed from the place where it is installed right now," Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Dismissing the 60-year-old title suit filed by the Sunni Waqf Board, the judges said that none of the litigants would take any action on the land for the next three months.
"We are party disappointed. We will approach the Supreme Court," Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Zafaryab Jillani told reporters.
"After this ruling, I make a humble appeal to the Muslims of this country, please accept this verdict, please help in the construction of a temple... It will lead to a new brotherhood in the country," Ravi Shankar Prasad said.The lawyer added that he was making the appeal not as a BJP leader but as a citizen of India.
"It is definitely in favour of the Hindus," said H.S. Jain, counsel for the Hindu Mahasabha. He said he too would approach the Supreme Court to campaign against the land given to the Sunni Waqf Board.
The ruling followed years of litigation that at one staged threatened to rip apart the country's communal fabric
"The judgement has paved the way for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.. The judgement is not a win or loss for anybody. We invite everybody, including Muslims, to help build the temple... The verdict should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat", said RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in his reaction soon after the judgment was pronounced.
Jafaryab Jilani, of Sunni Waqf Board contended that " HC's formula of one-third land is not acceptable to the Waqf Board and it will appeal against it in the apex court... The judgement is not only partly disappointing but also against the settled principles of law and evidence adduced by the Muslim side... Talks can happen if a proposal comes."
While the central and state governments stepped up security to ward off any communal trouble following the verdict on the 61-year-old dispute, some said India had moved on since 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished by Hindu radicals who believed it was built on the birthplace of Lord Ram.
After a 60-year-wait and loss of over 2000 lives in the worst communal riots of independent India in 1992 following the demolition of the Babri mosque, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday delivered a verdict on the Ayodhya title suit.
The demolition of the 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh' town of Ayodhya triggered widespread riots in which at least 2,000 people were killed.
In a passionate appeal, put out as a half-page newspaper advertisement, the prime minister urged people to treat the verdict by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on the land dispute with "utmost respect".
"We must remember the fact that the judgment, at this stage, is one step in the judicial process. The determination of the issues need not necessarily end with this judgment, unless it is accepted by all parties," the prime minister said amid apprehensions that the ruling could reopen the volatile communal issue.
Appealing to all sections of people to maintain "equanimity and tranquility", Manmohan Singh said if any of the parties to the dispute feels that further judicial consideration is required, "there are legal remedies available, which could be resorted to".
Congress president and chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Sonia Gandhi asked people to "respect the verdict of the independent judiciary of India".
"I respectfully request you to have faith in the judicial system and maintain brotherhood at any cost," Gandhi said in her appeal written in Hindi.
Added Home Minister P. Chidambaram: "India has moved on, especially the people who were born after 1992 have a different world view."
"I hope peace and communal harmony will be maintained," he said, disclosing that more 1.90 lakh "policemen from all formations" would be deployed in Uttar Pradesh.
A special alert has been sounded for cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhiwandi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Coimbatore and Hyderabad that have a history of communal flare-ups.
Leaders are also sounding caution and appealing for calm irrespective of which side the scales tilt.
The Darul Uloom Deoband, a leading Muslim seminary, has said any reaction to the judgment should be legal.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) too said peace and order should prevail irrespective of the ruling.
"The temple will be constructed whatever the court decision would be. But we believe in democratic institutions and would appeal to all our activists and volunteers to maintain peace and order after the verdict," VHP leader Vinod Bansal told an agency.
Judgement highlights
l 1/3 land to Ram Lalla (Lord Rama idol), 1/3 to Sunni Waqf Board (Muslims) and 1/3 to Nirmohi Akhara
l Hindus to get part where Lord Rama idol is kept.
l The division of the land starts in three months. Status quo at the site for three months.
l Sunni Waqf Board plea dismissed.
l Disputed land under the central dome is Ram Janmasthan (birthplace of Lord Rama) |
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