Ayodhya dispute: SC resumes hearing in Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case

The Supreme Court on Friday resumed hearing in Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, the decades-old socio-religious debate between Hindus and Muslims. The apex court is hearing 13 appeals, which were filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court.

In the landmark hearing, the Allahabad High Court in 2010 mandated a three-way division of the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Earlier on March 14, the SC had dismissed all 32 intervention petitions, including applications of Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen and Teesta Setalvad, in connection to the Ayodhya land dispute case.

The Supreme Court had also rejected a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, who sought to intervene in the ongoing matter.

The court also ordered the revival of Swamy's disposed plea. The plea sought enforcement of Swamy's fundamental right to worship at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

However, in its last hearing, a special bench, headed by Chief Justice Deepak Misra directed the registry not to entertain any intervention application in the Ayodhya land dispute case.

The bench had also asked both the parties to file the English translation of documents exhibited by them.

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The three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had on September 30, 2010, ordered that the land should be partitioned equally among three parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

However, the bench comprising CJI Dipak Misra, Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer would now deal with the instant matter as a "pure land dispute".

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya back in 1528. Later on December 6, 1992, Hindu Karsevaks destroyed the mosque during a political rally claiming that the Ram temple, situated in the land was actually demolished to construct the mosque.

Though there was no such evidence that the disputed structure was constructed after demolition of a temple, the court agreed that a temple or a temple structure predated the mosque at the same site. Moreover, the excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India also suggested that the predating structure was a massive Hindu religious building.

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Since then the matter has been in the light and turned into a political riot in India.