After seven decades of a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court on Saturday has pronounced the judgment in the Ayodhya title dispute case. A unanimous judgment was delivered in the Ayodhya case and held that the disputed land would be given to the Hindu parties. It also ordered alternate land measuring five acre for the Sunni Muslim Waqf Board.
A five judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Chief Justice-designate Justice SA Bobde, Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice SA Nazeer began pronouncing the judgment at 10.30 am. The 5-judge Constitution bench had reserved the judgment on October 16, after a marathon hearing over 40 days, which began on August 6.
Security has been beefed up in Uttar Pradesh and Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of more than 4 persons, have been imposed in Ayodhya district till December 10. Similar security measures were soon announced in many other states of the country. Schools and colleges will remain shut in many parts of the country including in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.
A day before the judgment, on Friday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for calm and asked the people of India to accept whatever verdict the apex court of the country pronounces. He asked people to make it a priority that this verdict strengthens India's glorious tradition of peace, unity and harmony and that there is no victory or loss in this.
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