Indian Top Court Rules In Favour Of Hindus: Foreign Media Coverage On Ayodhya Verdict

All eyes were on the Supreme Court which pronounced its judgment in the communally sensitive case of Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute in Ayodhya on Saturday. In a unanimous verdict, the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ruled that the disputed land will be given to the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust after Muslims failed to prove possessory title.

The court, however, has directed to allot a separate five acres land for Muslims to build a mosque. The apex court said the mosque should be constructed at a "prominent site".  The site was occupied by the 16th century Babri mosque which was destroyed by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992.

The verdict made headlines across the world and covered by all the major international media organisations. Here is how major foreign media house covered the Ayodhya verdict:

BBC | Indian top court gives holy site to Hindus

The BBC kept a simple plan header saying that India’s top court has ruled in favour of Hindus and handed them the disputed holy site. “The disputed holy site of Ayodhya in northern India should be given to Hindus who want a temple built there, the country's Supreme Court has ruled. The case, which has been bitterly contested for decades by Hindus and Muslims, centres on the ownership of the land in Uttar Pradesh state.” It also mentioned the second part of the verdict that Muslims will also be allotted a piece of land to build mosque. “The Muslims would get another plot of land to construct a mosque, the court said.”

Also Read | Muslim Side Not Satisfied With Ayodhya Verdict, Will Explore Legal Options: Zafaryab Jilani

Dawn | India's SC says temple to be built on disputed Ayodhya site, alternative land to be provided for mosque

Leading Pakistani news website Dawn.com also made the Ayodhya verdict its lead. The lead artilce of the site read, "The Supreme Court of India on Saturday, while announcing its verdict on a disputed land where Hindu hard-liners demolished a 16th century mosque in 1992, ruled in favour of the Hindus and said that a temple will be constructed on the Ayodhya land."

The Washington Post | India’s Supreme Court clears way for a Hindu temple at country’s most disputed religious site

Leading US daily The Washington Post also covered the verdict and was running it as a breaking news ticker at the time of writing this article. "India’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the land at the center of the country’s most contentious religious dispute would pass to a trust, paving the way for the construction of a Hindu temple at a site where a mosque once stood.
The site in the town of Ayodhya must pass to the trust within three months, the judges said. A Muslim group will receive land at an alternate location for a potential mosque...." the US daily wrote.

The New York Times | Indian Court Favors Hindus in Dispute Over Ayodhya Religious Site

The article on Ayodhya Verdict was lead story of the New York Times World category on its website. The article read, "India’s Supreme Court on Saturday ruled in favor of Hindus over a piece of land Muslims also claim, greenlighting the construction of a temple on the site where a mosque stood before it was demolished by a frenzied mob three decades ago, an event that has set the tone for the country’s sectarian tensions since."

CNN | Hindus allowed to build on disputed holy site

The Ayodhya verdict made it to the top three news of the prominent American news-based pay television channel CNN's online news website. It was the third lead on CNN's verticle. The headline of the CNN article on Ayodhya verdict read: "Hindus allowed to build on disputed holy site, India's Supreme Court rules"