Ayodhya: Litigants and the four suits
New Delhi: The Ayodhya dispute at a glance:
* The verdict to be delivered in Lucknow today considers a dispute over 2.7 acres of land in Ayodhya.
* The dispute was first taken to court 60 years ago
There are four title suits that ask the court to decide on:
* ownership of the land
* whether there was a temple at the site before 1538
* did the idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman exist inside the mosque, or were the idols placed inside on 22 December, 1949?
There was communal tension when an idol of Lord Ram was found inside in December 1949, and the government confiscated the site. That is when the lawsuits began.
The Ramjanmabhoomi Trust holds that this land is the birthplace of Lord Ram.
The Waqf Board holds that the land was site of the 16th century Babri mosque
In December 1992, thousands of kar sevaks, led by BJP and RSS leaders, demolished the Babri Masjid.
The litigants involved with the four suits being considered today are the following. All these cases were originally filed in the court of the Civil Judge, Faizabad, and are now before the High Court. (Ayodhya verdict: Legal issues at stake)
Gopal Singh Visharad - case filed on January 16, 1950. Gopal Singh Visharad has since died and his son Rajendra Singh is now the litigant.
Relief claimed:
- That Hindu's be entitled to go to visit the dispute site and worship the idols there without any checks or obstructions.
- Prohibitory orders must be issued preventing anyone from removing the idols and closing the doors of the masjid.
Nirmohi Akhada - case filed on December 17, 1959. The case was filed by the Akhada through Mahant Ragunath Das, who is now dead.
Relief claimed:
- To give the management of the disputed site to the descendents of Mahant Ragunath Das, the Mahant of the Nirmohi Akhada.
Sunni Central Board of Waqfs, UP - case filed on December 18, 1961 by the Central Board of Waqfs, UP, through secretary and nine others.
Relief claimed:
- That the disputed site must be declared as a mosque and the area adjoining as a Muslim graveyard.
- That possession be given to the central board of waqfs.
On behalf of deity Lord Ram and Deoki Nandan Agarwal - case filed on July 1, 1989. Deoki Nandan Agarwal is a senior advocate and a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court.
Relief Claimed:
- That the disputed structure belongs to the deity Lord Ram.
- Injunction against the Waqf board preventing them from interfering in the building of the temple.
- Demolishing the existing structure of the Babri Masjid. (This was filed before the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992
