Faith of Hindus that Ayodhya is birthplace of Ram undisputed says SC

New Delhi, Nov 09: The faith of Hindus that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Ram is undisputed the Supreme Court held.

The Hindus consider Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Ram and their faith is undisputed the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi held.

Accounts of travellers and historians mention about faith of Hindus and that the place is birthplace of Lord Ram is mentioned. The account has to be read with circumspection.

Titles cannot be established on the basis of faith.

There is evidence that Ram Chabutra was worshipped by the Hindus before the British came.
It is clearly established while Muslims offered prayers inside the inner courtyard, the same was done by Hindus in the outer court yard.

Though there were obstructions, Muslims continued to offer Namaz inside the inner courtyard. So the Muslims have not abandoned the Mosque, the SC says.

While citing evidence that Hindus continued praying, the SC ruled that Muslims have not been establish possessory rights over the disputed property.

The riots of 1934 and disturbances in 1949 show possession of the inner court yard was a matter of contestation. Documents prior to 1857 show that Hindus were not barred from worshipping in the inner court yard. The railings segregating the outer and inner courtyard was made in 1857. But Hindus always believed that the birthplace of Ram was in the inner courtyard of the mosque, the court said.

The court also held that the disputed site is one composite whole. There was no namaz after 1949, the court further held.

For 325 years from the construction of the Mosque till 1857, Muslims have given no evidence of offering prayers at the disputed site in exclusion of Hindus. The destruction of the Mosque was in breach of the SC order, the Bench however added.

The Muslims offered prayers inside the inner courtyard and the same was done by Hindus in the outer court yard, the Supreme Court also said.