Plea in SC seeks survey of land on which Ram temple stands

A petition in the Supreme Court has sought an independent survey to establish whether the Ram temple stands on the exact land adjudicated in the 2019 Ayodhya verdict. It also seeks preservation of records and digitisation and auditing of donations.

New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a committee or commission to determine whether the Ram temple in Ayodhya stands on the exact premises and land adjudicated by the apex court in its 2019 verdict.

In a landmark judgment delivered on November 9, 2019, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the apex court had paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

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It had directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a “prominent” place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.

In a unanimous verdict, the top court had ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood would remain with a Central government receiver and be handed over to a trust within three months for construction of the temple.

The plea filed in the apex court has sought a direction for an independent survey or demarcation of the premises adjudicated in the 2019 verdict, including identification of the exact boundaries, coordinates, extent and location of the land to which the judgment and decree relate.

As per the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, the plea filed by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Case Trust is scheduled to come up for hearing on November 2 before a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

“Direct constitution of an appropriate independent court-appointed committee/commission, comprising such qualified survey, revenue, archaeological and other technical experts as this court may deem fit, for the purpose of determining whether the temple presently constructed/developed is situated upon the exact premises and land adjudicated by this court,” said one of the prayers made in the plea.

The plea said that if any material discrepancies are found between the premises adjudicated by the top court and those on which the temple was constructed, appropriate directions should be issued to ensure that the mandate of the 2019 verdict is faithfully implemented.

The petition sought directions to the concerned authorities and the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to preserve and produce before the court all original documents, maps, plans, surveys and records relating to the identification, demarcation and development of the temple premises.

It also sought directions for the construction of facilities for devotees visiting the site from across the world.

Among other prayers, the plea sought directions to digitise donations, offerings and receipts on a daily basis, with continuous display, and an annual audit of the accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to avoid misappropriation.

The Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque, stood on the disputed site in Ayodhya before it was demolished by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, triggering communal riots.

The 2019 verdict was pronounced on 14 appeals filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, which had directed that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties: the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and ‘Ram Lalla’.