Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Former union minister Subramanian Swamy Monday moved the Supreme Court for an early settlement of the Ayodhya dispute between the Hindus and Muslims as to whether the site of the demolished Babri mosque was the birth place of Lord Ram.

Swamy wants to have his say during adjudication of a bunch of lawsuits by Hindus and Muslims pending before the apex court.

Swamy’s petition is to come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice J.M. Panchal Tuesday.

Lawsuits by various other petitioners like Ayodhya native Aslam Bhure and Allahabad resident Deoki Nandan Agarwala are also to come up for hearing Tuesday.

Swamy in his application recalled that the Allahabad High Court had in 1996 ordered that the Hindu pilgrims be facilitated to visit Lord Ram’s make-shift temple at the site of Babri mosque demolished in 1992.

The apex court, however, suspended the high court’s order on May 10, 1996, and directed against any change or alteration at the disputed site.

Later in 2002 when several Hindu groups were pressing for construction of a Lord Ram temple at the mosque site with tacit support of the erstwhile BJP-led NDA government, the apex court again reiterated its 1996 order against any change at the site.

The apex court also ordered status quo when the Congress-led UPA government wanted to make some additional security construction around the make-shift temple after a terror attack at the Ayodhya temple in 2006.

Swamy in his application noted that Hindu groups had approached the apex court for direction to facilitate pilgrimage by Hindus to the make-shift temple and building a temple, and the Muslim groups wanted the apex court permission to offer an annual prayer at the site.

Swamy said: “The time has come for the apex court to put an end to this era of indecision by taking certain positive and healing steps.”

He contended that during a recent visit he found the Hindu pilgrims being put to unnecessary security checks during their visit to the make-shift temple at Ayodhya. These checks impinge upon their right to worship, he said.

The basic dispute as to whether the Babri mosque site in Ayodhya was birth place of Lord Ram and to whom does the site belong - Hindus or Muslims - continues to be adjudicated at Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on daily basis, he noted.