Supreme Court: On Day 6 of the Ayodhya Title dispute hearing, Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for deity Ram Lalla, told the 5-judge bench of Ranjan Gogoi, CJ and SA Bobde, Dr. DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, JJ that
“it is the belief of Hindus that Ayodhya is Lord Ram’s birthplace and the court should not go beyond to see how rational it is.”
He also told the Court that the birthplace of Lord Ram was also a deity and Muslims cannot claim right over the 2.77-acre disputed land as any division of the property would amount to “destruction” and “mutilation” of the deity itself.
The Court had asked if Hindus and Muslims jointly possessed the disputed site, Muslims could be ousted from it.
Vaidyanathan also submitted before the Court that the English writer William Foster published a book “Early Travels in India” which describes Ayodhya and building of Ram temple.
The Supreme Court said one of the earliest European geographers who write about India Joseph Tiefenthaler seems to suggest that Ram temple was demolished by Aurangzeb. On this, Vaidyanathan said Tiefenthaler refers to two accounts one of demolition by Aurangzeb and second by Babur, but it is clear it was demolished before 1786.
“Who demolished the temple wouldn’t matter for us as it proves that the temple existed. What is important about the document is that it identifies the Janmasthan and that a mosque was put up at the site of the Ram temple.”
On Court’s question when was the temple called Babri Masjid came into existence, Vaidyanathan said:
“In the 19th century it was called Babri Masjid. Before that, there was nothing to prove or show it was called Babri Masjid. Before 1786 there is no document to show this was known as Babri Masjid.”
A five-judge constitution bench is conducting a day-to-day hearing in the Ayodhya title dispute case, after it had on August 2 observed that since the mediation panel on Ayodhya matter has failed to achieve any final settlement in the matter, it will hold a day-to-day hearing in the case from August 6.
Fourteen appeals are pending before the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict which ordered equal division of the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya among the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
The 16th-century Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.
(Source: ANI & The Hindu)
More from the day-to-day hearing:
No Muslim has entered the disputed land since 1934: Nirmohi Akhara
SC seeks evidence of possession of Ramjanmabhumi from Nirmohi Akhara
Both Hindus & Muslims have always called the disputed site a ‘Janmasthana’: Ram Lalla’s counsel
SC rejects Sr Adv Rajeev Dhavan’s plea against 5-days a week hearing
Arguments advanced on whether there was an existing temple at the disputed site
Also read:
Should Ayodhya dispute be decided by mediation? SC to decide on March 6 [Full Report]
