A petition filed in the Supreme Court seeks an independent survey of the Ram temple site in Ayodhya. The plea asks for a court-monitored committee to check if the temple stands on the exact land from the 2019 verdict. A bench will hear this matter on November 2.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent inquiry to determine whether the Ram temple in Ayodhya has been built on the exact land covered by the court's 2019 verdict, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The petition has sought an independent survey and demarcation of the premises, including the identification of the land's exact boundaries, coordinates, extent and location. It has also requested the appointment of a court-monitored committee or commission for the exercise.
According to the Supreme Court's published hearing list, the petition filed by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Case Trust is scheduled to be heard on November 2 by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, PTI reported.
One of the prayers in the petition seeks the constitution of an independent court-appointed committee or commission comprising qualified survey, revenue, archaeological and other technical experts. The panel would determine whether the temple has been constructed or developed on the exact premises and land adjudicated by the Supreme Court.
The petition said that if the verification reveals any material discrepancy between the land covered by the verdict and the site where the temple was constructed, the court should issue appropriate directions to ensure faithful implementation of the 2019 judgment.
It has also sought directions to the authorities concerned and the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to preserve and submit all original documents, maps, plans, surveys and records related to the identification, demarcation and development of the temple premises.
The petition has requested directions for the construction of facilities for devotees visiting from across the world. It has also sought daily digitisation and continuous display of donations, offerings and receipts, along with an annual audit of the accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to prevent misappropriation.
In its unanimous judgment delivered on November 9, 2019, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court cleared the way for a trust to build the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It ruled that the disputed 2.77-acre plot, where the Babri Masjid once stood, would remain with a central government receiver before being handed over to a trust within three months for the temple's construction.
The court also directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque at a prominent location in the Uttar Pradesh town.
The Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque, was demolished by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, triggering communal riots. The 2019 verdict came on 14 appeals against a 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment in four civil suits, which had ordered the 2.77-acre land to be divided equally among the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
The petition has, in summary, asked the Supreme Court to verify the temple site's boundaries, preserve relevant records and issue directions on visitor facilities and the management and auditing of donations.