Headlines
SC allows replacement of worn-out material at Ayodhya temple
New Delhi, Aug 10
The Supreme Court on Monday
permitted changing of the worn-out material of the make-shift structure
covering the Ram temple at the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi
site in Ayodhya.
"We direct that the authorised
person/commissioner Faizabad is permitted to replace the old and
worn-out tarpaulin sheet, jute matting, bamboo, polythene sheet and
ropes over the makeshift structure by new ones of the same size and
quality and exactly in the same manner as they were previously placed,"
the court said.
A bench of Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice V. Gopala
Gowda and Justice R. Banumathi said the new material would be put up in
the presence of two observers.
The court's order came as counsel
Rajiv Dhawan, appearing for one of the petitioners, agreed with the
plea saying that the same was done in the past also on the directions of
the court.
The court gave the Centre six weeks to take a
decision as it was informed that one of the two observers T.M. Khan has
already completed his five-year term and he has to be replaced by a new
person.
The court also asked its registry to make available
compact discs of the digitised records of the case. The direction came
as the court declined a plea for inspection of records.
While
refusing to hear the matter out of turn, the court said: "The pleadings
should be complete and the appeals must be ripe for hearing."
The
matter is rooted in the cross petitions challenging the September 30,
2010 verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri
Masjid title suit case.
By the said verdict, the high court had
ordered the division of the disputed plot into three parts -- one for
Ram Lalla, one for the Nirmohi Akhara and one for the Sunni Waqf Board.
The apex court had stayed this verdict on May 9, 2011.