The Supreme Court has closed all proceedings pertaining to the demolition of the Babri Masjidin Ayodhya. The decision was taken after a review petition filed by the Muslim Personal Law Board (MPLB) challenging the earlier apex court order of December 1992 which had opened the door for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.
A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, delivered the order on Thursday. The court was hearing a batch of petitions, including the one filed by the MPLB, seeking a review of its December 6, 1992 order. A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said there was no need to hear the petitions as the mosque had been demolished 'long back' and the status quo order of the apex court was violated.
The top court had, on October 29, last year, fixed the matter for a final hearing from February 8 this year. The apex court had also asked the Central government to provide security to the petitioners who had filed the review petitions.
The bench, also comprising Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan, and S Abdul Nazeer, said it was time to 'heal wounds' and move on.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking action against those who had demolished the 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks, who claimed that it was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple. The demolition triggered nationwide riots in which over 2,000 people were killed.
The SC had, in October 2010, ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the role of a 'larger conspiracy' behind the demolition of the mosque.
The court had also constituted a Liberhan Commission to probe the role of the then BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, and Vinay Katiyar in the demolition.
The CBI had charge-sheeted 48 people, including Advani, Joshi, and Bharti, in the case. However, in 2017, a special CBI court acquitted all the accused, giving them the benefit of doubt.
The SC had, in December 1992, ordered the mosque to be rebuilt at the same spot. However, the mosque was not rebuilt and the site has since been occupied by a makeshift temple.
The apex court had, in October 2019, ordered the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
