Permit us to transfer excess Ayodhya land to Ram Temple trust: Centre tells SC

New Delhi, Jan 29: The Centre has moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to return 67 acres of land it had acquired around the disputed land in Ayodhya to the original owners.

The government had acquired 67 acres around the 2.77 acre disputed Ram Janmabhumi land. In an application, it sought permission to return the land to the original owners.

The application states that around 67 acres of land was acquired in all over 25 years back. Apart from the disputed land, which is around 0.133 acres, the rest can be returned to the owners, the application said.

The specially constituted Bench was to hear the matter today. However the matter was adjourned owing to the unavailability of Justice S A Bobde due to medical reasons.

The application states, " it is respectfully submitted that the contemplated action of the Central Government to restore/revert/handover back the superfluous/excess land to their respective original owners/occupiers may not required to be linked with the outcome of the appeals. This is for the reason that irrespective of the outcome of the appeals, one thing is clear that the issues concerning the excess land acquired in 1993 cannot be and will not be done into and adjudicated in the said appeals which confines to the inter se claims regarding the disputed land measuring only 0.313 acres only."

In 1993, the Centre had acquired 67 acres of land around the disputed site, while stating that it was related to the dispute. The Supreme Court had upheld the acquisition in 1994. The court also ordered that the land shall remain with the Central government and shall not be released in anyone's favour until the dispute is decided.

The Centre now seeks to release the land in favour of Ram Janmabhumi Nyas and hence has moved the SC to seek permission.The Nyas was formed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to oversee the construction of the Ram Temple.

Dr. Subramanian Swamy in a tweet said, "the Centre has gone to SC in a WP (writ petition) to seek release of the non - disputed part of RJB (Ram Janmabhumi) land of 67 acres to start immediate construction. My meeting last evening with HM (Home Minister) I had a discussion on my approach. But Centre was keen to obtain prior permission to start construction.