Babri Masjid
Hindu political organisation Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to prevent any party to the dispute from seeking an ex-parte order in appealing against the Allahabad High Court’s 30 September decision on the Ayodhya title dispute matter.
The Supreme Court of India has rejected the plea to defer the Ayodhya ruling by the Allahabad High Court, which is now expected to be handed down at 3pm on Thursday 30 September, which has again put states on high alert fearing potential violence.
The Supreme Court has refused to hear the petition seeking to defer the Ayodhya dispute verdict and to mediate it, with the court saying it should be taken up by another “appropriate” bench, reports OneIndia. The petitioner Ramesh Chand Tripathi claimed that the verdict would disturb communal harmony and lead to violence, reported NDTV, but this was earlier also rejected by the Allahabad High Court and he was hit with costs of Rs 50,000.
This Friday’s expected judgment in the case relating to the demolition of a mosque on the Babri site in 1992 by Hindu activists is widely feared to cause frictions. Today the Karnataka state government has declared a two-day school and college holiday from the day of the verdict (24 and 25 September) as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order after the ruling, reported the wire United News of India.
The Hindu has prepared a detailed and fascinating analysis of the case’s legal history.
The Uttar Pradesh High Court is due to rule on 24 September on who owns the Babri site where a mosque was destroyed in 1992 by Hindu activists claiming the site was the birthplace of Hindu god Ram, which sparked sectarian violence causing 2,000 deaths, reported the AFP. As both sides expect a favourable judgment, there are fears that violence could again erupt.