The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed all 32 intervening applications in Babri-Masjid-Ram temple title case as it began hearing to determine ownership of the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya.
The apex court also ordered revival of Swamy’s disposed plea that had sought enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Earlier, the court had also rejected plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking to intervene in Babri Masjid-Ram Temple title case. Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal and Teesta Setalvad were also among those who had filed intervention applications in this case.
During the last hearing in February, the apex court had said it will deal the case as a pure land dispute and refused to hear it on day-to-day basis.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer refused appellants’ plea for day to day hearing, saying “over 700 poor litigants are waiting for justice, we have to hear them”. The court had directed parties in the case to file translated copies of the documents before it.
The SC was hearing a batch of cross-petitions challenging 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that had divided the disputed Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi site between the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram deity and the Sunni Waqf Board.
The top court was moved challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict by petitioners M Siddiqui represented by his legal heirs, the Nirmohi Akhara, the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, Bhagwan Shri Ram Virajman, All India Hindu Mahasabha’s Swami Chakrapani, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, the Akhil Bharatiya Sri Ramjanam Bhoomi Punardhar Samiti and others.
A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties – the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity, Ram Lalla.