A temple, a mosque and a dispute (Bringing Ayodhya to a closure, 2019)

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 A temple, a mosque and a dispute (Bringing Ayodhya to a closure, 2019)

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• 2019 and 2010 verdicts: The SC verdict in 2019 gives the entire site to Hindus, and another 5 acre plot to Muslims elsewhere. The Allahabad High Court's 2010 verdict had ordered a 3-way partition of the dispute area between – 

1. the deity Ram Lalla got the janmasthan, 
2. the Nirmohi Akhara (part of area outside the demolished mosque), and 
3. the Muslim parties. But the 2019 SC verdict called this trifurcation illogical.

• Timeline of the dispute:

1. Some Hindus believe that Mughal emperor Babur's people built the Babri Masjid AFTER demolishing a Ram Temple that marked the birthplace of Lord Ram himself. 
2. Claim: The central dome of the mosque stood at the birthplace itself. 
3. Muslims disagreed stating that Babur's commander Mir Baqi didn't demolish anything and rights belong to them.
4. In 1885, Mahant Raghubar Dass filed a suit as "Mahant of the janmasthan" to build a temple on 17x21 sqft chabutra (platform) outside the mosque. Case was dismissed in Faizabad. The dispute ended for the time being.
5. In Dec. 1949, a large crowd of Hindus entered and planted Ram idols surreptitiously under the central dome. The City Magistrate of Faizabad attached the site.
6. In Jan 1950, a local devotee filed a case asking for right to worship and secured an order against the removal of idols. (that order exists till date)
7. A second suit filed in 1950 was retrated in 1959. A third suit by Nirmohi Akhara filed a third suit in 1959, asking for premises to be given to it.  (Nirmohi Akahara is an old institution of Ramanand Vairagis of Ayodhya)
8. Muslim parties filed a suit in 1961 (UP Central Sunni Waqf Board) claiming the mosque was a public waqf for 400 years, and be handed over to it.
9. The VHP and BJP vigorously launched the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and filed a fifth suit in 1980s - in the name of the deity itself. In this, there were three plaintiffs – (1) Ram Lalla, the presiding deity, (2) Ram Janmasthan, the birthplace considered as divinity, (3) Believer /worshipper who represented the two deities.
10. In Feb 1986, a local court ordered locks be opened for Hindu worshippers. The VHP-BJP temple movement gained pace now. They began a pan-India mobilisation of kar sevaks (volunteers to build the temple) and consecrated bricks were collected, for a march on Ayodhya. Then in 1989, VHP allowed to perform puja near disputed site. (both these events were under PM Rajiv Gandhi)
11. Police firing in 1990 on kar sevaks gathered in Ayodhya led to fall of VP Singh govt. as BJP withdrew support. All cases were transferred to the Allahabad HC.
12. From Sept 1990, BJP's LK Advani led a rath yatra, which brought communal violence across India. 
13. The mosque was destroyed on 06-Dec, 1992, despite the UP govt of BJP (Kalyan Singh, CM).
14. In 1993, the central govt (PM Rao) issued an ordinace and took over the entire disputed area and land close to it, and declared that all suits will now abate. 
15. GoI enacted the Ayodhya Acquisition Act in 1993.
16. The Supreme Court in Oct. 1994 revived the title suits, and called the Central govt. not the owner but Receiver of the land.
17. In 2002, Allahabad HC began hearings. In 2003, SC banned all religious activity in acquired lands. In Sept 2010, the Allahabad HC distributed the disputed land among the three plaintiffs by a 2:1 verdict – (1) 1/3rd to Sunni Waqf Board, (2) 1/3rd for Nirmohi Akhara, (3) 1/3rd to party for Ram Lalla.
18. The SC stays the HC judgement in 2011, due to cross-appeals by parties. In 2017, the SC (CJI Dipak Misra) hears these cross-appeals (not main title suit). Muslim parties' prayers on Faruqui judgment referencing declined.
19. The SC constitutes a 5-judge bench (CJI Ranjan Gogoi) and in November 2019 seals the fate by its final verdict granding everything to the Hindus. [A parallel mediation process failed in August 2019]
20. All mediation efforts since 1989 till 2019 failed. PMs like Chandra Shekhar and PVN Rao failed. The SC-appointed panel in 2019 also failed.
21. People of Ayodhya want peace as their development had badly suffered over the years.

• Summary : The Ayodhya case had been running for many decades, and through multiple twists and turns, making all attempts at a negotiated settlement impossible.

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