New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday wrapped up arguments in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid land dispute case after a marathon 40-day hearing, the second longest daily hearing held by the top court.
The five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, reserved the order. It also granted three days to contesting parties to give the rest of their submissions in writing.
Earlier in the day, Gogoi had said the hearing will conclude Wednesday instead of 17 October, and the court rejected a plea seeking to intervene in the ongoing hearing.
The court was hearing appeals challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict, which ordered equal division of the 2.77-acre of disputed land in Ayodhya between the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Ram Lalla.
The 16th-century Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.
The five-judge bench hearing the case comprises Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, apart from CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
The Hindu sides have stuck to their claim that a Ram temple at the site of Lord Ram’s birthplace was demolished during the reign of Mughal emperor Babur to construct a mosque — which was demolished by kar sevaks in 1992. The Muslim groups have argued that there is no evidence of a temple at the spot where the now-demolished Babri Masjid stood.
A verdict in the case is expected next month before Gogoi retires on 17 November.
(With agency inputs)
Also read: There are 3 claims to Ayodhya — law, memory & faith. It’s not a simple Hindu-Muslim dispute