Ayodhya verdict today, nation awaits Supreme Court ruling with bated breath.

Source – indiatoday.in

The Supreme Court is set to pronounce its verdict in Ayoyoda’s Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit on Saturday. The five-judge bench of the Supreme Court is likely to pronounce judgment at 10:30 am.

A notice regarding the pronouncement of judgment by a Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, was uploaded on the official website of the Supreme Court late Friday evening. Other members of the bench are Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer. The bench on October 16 had reserved the judgment after the marathon hearings over 40 days.

All states and Union territories across India have been put on high alert as the Centre and the state governments are reaching out to the public to maintain peace and calm if the judgment is not in their favour.

Here are the latest updates:

5.00 am: All liquor and arms shops will be closed across Uttar Pradesh on November 9 and 10 in view of the Ayodhya verdict.

4.40 am: Section 144 imposed from midnight (November 9) till further orders, in entire Jammu and Kashmir. Also, no schools or colleges in J&K on Saturday, says Department of Information and Public Relations, J&K govt.

3.05 am: Section 144 not imposed in Mumbai yet, monitoring social media: Police

3.02 am: Mumbai Police, other security forces on alert. Cameras, drones to be used to monitor situation in city.

2.45 am: Dy CM Manish Sisodia advises all private schools in Delhi to remain closed today.

12.47 am: An extra company of RAF (Rapid Action Force) has been called to Aligarh, police on alert, says DM.

12.20 am: Security tightened in Karnataka

11.50 pm: In the view of the upcoming verdict in Ram Temple case, 144 has been imposed in the entire Jaipur district except for Jaipur city.

11.49 pm: Aligarh District Magistrate (DM), Chandra Bhushan Singh: All mobile internet services to remain suspended from 12 AM (08.11.2019) to 12 AM (09.11.2019) in the entire district.

11.31 pm: Pralhad Joshi appeals for peace: Request everyone to maintain unity, peace & harmony.
#AYODHYAVERDICT, Prahlad Joshi tweeted.

11.23 pm: Punjab government has deployed additional forces in sensitive areas, including Malrekotla, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

11.17 pm: Dry day in Bengaluru. Bengaluru police have announced a liquor ban in the city tomorrow from 6 am to midnight. Apart from regular force, 8000 additional men have been deployed across the city.

Bangalore police deployment:

50 KSRP platoons
30 CAR platoons
1 CRPF company
18 DCPs
34 ACPs

11.16 pm: Gautam Gambhir appeals for peace: In view of the Ayodhya verdict tomorrow, I urge every individual to maintain peace & tranquillity. We are and will remain a family of Indians.

11.03 pm: Section 144 imposed in UP

11.02 pm: All government schools and many private schools are closed in Delhi on Saturday. We are advising all private schools to also remain closed, says Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

11.01pm: CJI given Z+ security cover.

11pm: Section 144 imposed in entire J&K from midnight, indefinitely till further orders.

10.58 pm: MP CM urges people to maintain peace and calm in the state.

10.57 pm: High alert in Punjab and Haryana ahead of Ayodhya verdict

10.50 pm: Bhopal collector declares dry day on Saturday, bans bursting firecrackers.

10.47 pm: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar cancels Madhepura visit.

10.44 pm: India Today TV spoke to several locals in Ayodhya who were out to buy groceries and essentials for their families fearing that the government may impose curfew after Ayodhya verdict.

10.40 pm: Heavy security in and around the Supreme Court.

10.35 pm: “We had requested govt to make a law on construction of Ram Temple but Govt didn’t do that. Now when SC is giving the order, the government can’t take care,” Shiv Sena in a press note ahead of Ayodhya verdict.

10.33 pm: UP CM Yogi Adityanath appeals for peace. He urged people not to believe in rumours.

10.32 pm: Care-taker CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis appeals for peace and asks people to respect the decision on Ayodhya.

10.20 pm: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s has appealed to the general public to be peaceful ahead of Ayodhya verdict.

“Kerala’s response was a model to the rest of the country when Babari Masjid was demolished. Everyone should be ready to accept the verdict in a peaceful manner. Every Keralite has a commitment to uphold the peace and secular values of the country. The verdict should not create any room for hate-mongering. The state police have been directed to be on high alert in the wake of the verdict,” he said.

10.10 pm: Delhi Police has issued a statement on the arrangement and precautionary measures to be taken ahead of Ayodhya verdict.

District DCPs and SHOs have been directed to raise police visibility and patrolling in communally sensitive areas. Necessary arrangements will be made to ensure safety and security of religious places. Field formations will remain in contact with stakeholders and conduct meetings with Aman Committees’ comprising respectable from different communities.

Delhi Police will also initiate strict legal action against mischief-mongers or those found indulging in any activity which may adversely affect the peace and tranquility of the society. Social media platforms will also be monitored and Delhi Police advises that such platforms should be used with discretion, and users should restrain from spreading any unverified post.

Sufficient police forces are being mobilized, and Delhi Police will also requisition extra CAPF companies from MHA.

10.09 pm: Reserve police being deployed in sensitive areas in a number of Districts of Karnataka. The education minister has declared a holiday in all schools on Saturday.

10.08 pm: Tamil Nadu will be deploying close to 1 lakh police personnel all around the state for security purposes. 15,000 personnel to be deployed in Chennai. Patrol increased in all public places.

10 pm: DGP IG of UP Prisons has issued a notice to all jail officers and staff to remain alert and be in constant touch with the concerned district administration for any support/needful action required.

“Keep a vigilant eye on the reaction of the inmates and ensure that there is no communal strife/violence in Jails. Strict vigil should be maintained immediately and stern action be ensured against such elements lodged in jails who attempt to spread communal disharmony,” the notice reads.

9.58 pm: While giving verdict on Ayodhya, the SC will also give judgment on the claim made by the Shia Waqf board that Babri masjid was not a Sunni mosque but a Shia one.

9.55 pm: VHP to address a press conference on Ram mandir judgment By SC at 2:30pm at North Avenue VHP office.

Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit before the SC

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on 14 appeals filed against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The SC had first appointed a three-member mediation panel, comprising Justice FMI Kallifulla, spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu. But when the SC was told that four-month-long mediation proceedings did not result in any final settlement, it decided to take up the matter in marathon hearings.

The CJI Gogoi-led Constitution bench heard the case in 40 day-to-day proceedings from August 6 till October 16. The verdict was expected any time before November 17, the day CJI Ranjan Gogoi retires, but the listing of the matter for Saturday has taken the nation by surprise.

Ayodhya on high alert

Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh has been put under a thick blanket of security. Apart from the regular security at the disputed site, the Centre has rushed in 4000 paramilitary personnel and 30 bomb squads. All dharamshalas in Ayodhya have been instructed to shut down and all non-locals have been asked to leave the city.

Ram Kot area around the disputed site has been closed off and police have blockades on the roads. After the SC circular informing about the imminent verdict, the police also took out a flag march on the streets on Ayodhya.

District Magistrates have been instructed to make arrangements for temporary jail if necessary.

Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath held a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation. Section 144 has imposed in the state.

All schools and colleges have been ordered to remain shut in Uttar Pradesh between November 9 and 11. November 12 is a holiday on account of Guru Nanak Jayati.

Locals, speaking to India Today TV, said that they expect the verdict to pass off peacefully unless outer forces try to instill any violence or clashes.

Tight security across India

In light of Ayodhya verdict, the security has been upped across the nation. All states and UTs have increased the presence of security forces on the streets. All jails have been put on high alert.

Apart from Uttar Pradesh, section 144 has also been imposed across Jammu and Kashmir and Bengaluru city in Karnataka. Schools and colleges have also been ordered to remain shut in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, in J&K’s Kathua and parts of other states.

Police bodies, across India, have announced close monitoring of social media networks for any objectionable post. Maharashtra police even arrested a 56-year-old man on Friday evening for writing an objectionable post on Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue. He has been booked under sections 153 (1) (B), 188 of IPC (commits any act which is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities).

Security of the five judges hearing the case has been increased.

Most of the political functions have been cancelled across the nation as the political leaders rush back to their state or constituencies before the verdict. However, the Kartarpur Corridor inauguration ceremony is likely to go ahead as planned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to flag off the first batch of pilgrims to Pakistan-based Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara at 10:30 am, at the time of the verdict.

PM Narendra Modi implores peace and calm

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the countrymen to welcome the SC judgment either way. “Ayodhya verdict, whatever it may be, will not mean victory or loss for anyone. I request people of the country to uphold the Indian tradition and maintain peace, unity and harmony,” PM Modi said.

“I welcome the efforts made by all sections of society including media to honour the Supreme Court and maintain an atmosphere of tolerance,” the PM said in a series of tweets.

“The Supreme Court’s decision on Ayodhya is coming tomorrow. For the past few months, the matter was being heard continuously in the Supreme Court, the whole country was watching eagerly. During this period, the efforts made by all sections of the society to maintain an atmosphere of goodwill are greatly appreciated,” PM Modi said.

History of Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute cases

Initially, as many as five lawsuits were filed in the lower court. The first one was filed by Gopal Singh Visharad, a devotee of ‘Ram Lalla’, in 1950 to seek enforcement of the right to worship of Hindus at the disputed site.

In the same year, the Paramahansa Ramachandra Das had also filed the lawsuit for continuation of worship and keeping the idols under the central dome of the now-demolished disputed structure.

The plea was later withdrawn.

Later, the Nirmohi Akahara also moved the trial court in 1959 seeking management and ‘shebaiti’ (devotee) rights over the 2.77 acre disputed land.

Then came the lawsuit of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Wakf Board which moved the court in 1961, claiming title right over the disputed property.

The deity, ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’, through next friend and former Allahabad High Court judge Deoki Nandan Agrawal, and the Janmbhoomi (the birthplace) moved the lawsuit in 1989, seeking title right over the entire disputed property on the key ground that the land itself has the character of the deity and of a ‘Juristic entity’.

Later, all the lawsuits were transferred to the Allahabad High Court for adjudication following the demolition of the disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid structure on December 6, 1992, sparking communal riots in the country.