NEW DELHI - India’s apex court had in November 2019 had settled a century old, fiercely fought land dispute between Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya, in northern Uttar Pradesh. While the court allowed Hindus to retain the disputed land, it had asked the government to allot an appropriate land for Muslims to build a mosque.
India’s federal government on Wednesday announced that it would create a group responsible for building a temple dedicated to Rama, as mandated by the Supreme Court of India. The deity is hugely revered by the nation's Hindus.
“As per the orders of the Supreme Court, we have readied a scheme for the development of a Rama Temple in Ayodhya. A trust named 'Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra' has been formed,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in parliament on Wednesday; his words were met with loud cheers and table-thumping in agreement.
Hindus had claimed a plot of land as the birthplace of Lord Rama, which had been the site of a mosque built by a Mughal king until it was torn down by religious fanatics in 1992.
Modi also announced that the government of Uttar Pradesh has given approval to allot a 5-acre plot of land to a Muslim body, the Sunni Waqf Board, for the construction of a replacement mosque, in accordance with the ruling of India’s highest court. He added that the trust would be an independent body tasked with decisions concerning the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. -Sputnik