Supreme Court to announce historic Ayodhya verdict tomorrow
What's the story
After languishing in Supreme Court for years, the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute will reach its finale tomorrow at 10:30 am.
A five-judge constitutional bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, will announce who would get the 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, which has been defining socio-political cauldron in India for decades.
Ahead of judgment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for peace.
Context
A quick recap of what happened in Ayodhya
At the disputed site, whose owner would be announced in a few hours from now, a 16th-century Babri Masjid stood, before it was razed down by Hindu activists in 1992.
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court split the land into three, giving an equal share to deity Ram Lalla (who is believed to have taken human form there), Sunni Waqf Board, and Nirmohi Akhada.
Mediation
Daily hearings began after mediation failed
Since Ayodhya is a sensitive issue, for both Hindus and Muslims, the bench referred it for mediation earlier this year.
Justices SA Bobde, SA Nazeer, Ashok Bhushan, and DY Chandrachud, who are also part of the bench, said they wanted to give "healing a chance".
But the mediation panel failed, and in August, SC started hearing the case daily, concluding it in October.
Preparation
Schools and colleges shut in UP from November 9-11
Earlier in the day, CJI Gogoi had a word with top officials of UP to get a hang of on-ground situation.
After it was revealed that the bench would pull off a rare feat by delivering the verdict on Saturday, the state administration declared that all schools, colleges, and coaching centers will remain shut.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said peace should be maintained.
Twitter Post
Security has been beefed up at judges' residences
Delhi police beefed up security at the house offive judges of Supreme court who will announce Ayodhya judgment on Saturday. @DelhiPolice #AYODHYAVERDICT
— Saurabh Trivedi (@saurabh3vedi) November 8, 2019
Statements
Separately, Sena said BJP can't take credit for verdict
Meanwhile, politicians have also revealed their views on the impending verdict.
Shiv Sena, which is locked in a bitter battle with the ruling BJP, said the government should not be credited for the verdict.
"We had requested government to make a law on construction of Ram Temple but government didn't do that," Sena said in a statement.
Separately, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said hate-mongering shouldn't be allowed.
Twitter Post
Here's what PM Modi tweeted
अयोध्या पर कल सुप्रीम कोर्ट का निर्णय आ रहा है। पिछले कुछ महीनों से सुप्रीम कोर्ट में निरंतर इस विषय पर सुनवाई हो रही थी, पूरा देश उत्सुकता से देख रहा था। इस दौरान समाज के सभी वर्गों की तरफ से सद्भावना का वातावरण बनाए रखने के लिए किए गए प्रयास बहुत सराहनीय हैं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 8, 2019