The Supreme Court has refused to revisit its 1994 ruling that the government can acquire land that a mosque is built on. In the Ismail Farooqui judgement, the court had ruled then that namaz or prayers can be offered anywhere and a mosque is not essential. The ruling will not be referred to a larger bench, the three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said. It could also be one of the last verdicts that Chief Justice Misra deliver, before he retires.
In 1994, the Supreme Court said that namaz could be offered anywhere and that a mosque was not necessary. This cleared the way for the government taking over the land where the 16th century Babri mosque was razed in December 1992 by Hindu hardliners who believed it was built on Lord Ram's birthplace.
Muslim litigants say that this decades-old verdict played a big role in the disputed land in Ayodhya being divided in 2010 into three parts by the Allahabad High Court: it split the land between Hindu and Muslim parties, though the main part was given to Hindus. The Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque was destroyed in 1992 by karsewaks or right-wing volunteers who said that it had to be brought down so that a temple could be built to Lord Ram, who they say was born right here.
