SC dismisses all review petitions against Ayodhya verdict

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed all 18 review petitions against its 9 November verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case. The bench held that there was no merit in the review petitions.

The five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, conducted in-chamber proceedings for the 18 listed review petitions on Thursday.

Former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was part of the Constitution bench which had pronounced the verdict, was replaced by Justice Sanjiv Khanna at today’s in-chamber proceedings. The other members of the bench include D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer.

The review petitions had been filed by



Nirmohi Akhara, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) and a number of Muslim parties supported by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), among others, They had sought a review of the 9 November verdict of the Supreme Court which unanimously ordered setting up of a trust by the government, within three months, that would eventually pave the way for construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The five-judge bench that delivered the landmark judgment had ordered for the allotment of 5-acre land to Muslims for construction of a mosque within Ayodhya. Nirmohi Akhara, one of the three litigants in the case, could be given representation in the trust if accepted by the Centre, the bench had observed in its judgment.