Ayodhya court ruling delayed

Ayodhya court ruling delayed

Hindu hardliners want to build a temple in Ayodhya

India's Supreme Court has delayed making a judgement on whether religious activities can take place around a holy site disputed between Hindus and Muslims.

The judgement was expected on Thursday. It is not clear when the verdict will now be given.

The site, in the northern city of Ayodhya, houses the remains of a 16th Century mosque destroyed by a Hindu mob 10 years ago.

Hardline Hindus say that the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple which marked the birthplace of the Hindu God Ram.

The destruction of the mosque on 6 December 1992 sparked off religious riots across India in which more than 2,000 people died.

Last year the Supreme Court had banned the use of land around the disputed site for religious purposes, to calm tensions between Hindus and Muslims.

But now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led federal government wants the ban lifted.

'Nothing should change'

On Thursday, government lawyer Kirit Rawal argued that the ban ran counter to an earlier ruling in which only the disputed site was to be left untouched until a solution was reached.

The land around it, which had been acquired by the government in the aftermath of the mosque's demolition, should be returned to its owners, Mr Rawal argued.

But lawyers representing the Muslims said that nothing should change until all cases relating to the Ayodhya dispute were settled, since it would increase religious tensions.

The BJP is under pressure from Hindu hardliners to hand over a part of the land to them so that they can begin work on building a Hindu temple.

Excavation

In a significant ruling on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh High Court ordered the excavation of the Ayodhya site to determine if a temple existed there.

But, the court said, no digging should take place on the core area, which now houses a makeshift Hindu temple.

It also said that the exercise should not disrupt Hindu devotees from praying at the site, which is now allowed at restricted times.

It is not clear when the verdict will now be given on the site

A leader of the right-wing Hindu organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Vishnu Hari Dalmiya said the organisation did not have any problems with the court's decision.

Mr Dalmiya added that his colleagues had dug in the area and found the remnants of a temple and that the Archaeological Survey of India would also find these.

A former director general of the Archaeological Survey of India, MC Joshi, told the BBC the chances of finding the temple of the Hindu God Ram are not high.

"We will tell the court whatever we get after a month of excavations," he said.

A senior Muslim leader, Zaffar Yab Jilani, who was associated with this case, said the order would help to disprove the theory that a temple existed on the site.

The court has asked for the excavation to be completed in a month and for a report of the findings submitted to it.