Ayodhya mosque-demolition ruling deferred

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11398295

India Ayodhya mosque ruling is deferred

The mosque's destruction was one of India's most bitterly contested events

The Supreme Court of India has delayed a ruling expected on Friday on the long-running Ayodhya dispute.

It said it was allowing a deferral until next week to allow Hindus and Muslims time to resolve the 150-year-old dispute on their own.

"The court felt a last attempt should be made to resolve this amicably," lawyer Mukul Rohatgi said.

The High Court was to have ruled on who owns land where a 16th Century mosque was destroyed by Hindu mobs in 1992.

But its judgement - which was due on Friday - has now been delayed on the orders of the higher court.

Hindus claim the site in Uttar Pradesh is the birthplace of their god, Lord Ram.

The destruction of the mosque led to widespread rioting between Hindus and Muslims and some 2,000 people died.

It was some of the worst Hindu-Muslim violence since the partition of India in 1947.

The High Court was to have ruled on whether the site should be given to the Hindu community to build a temple or returned to the Muslim community to rebuild the 16th-century Babri Mosque.

India's home ministry has already warned that the legal decision is likely to evoke sharp reactions and communal passions.

The Uttar Pradesh state government has deployed thousands of extra security forces to deal with any law and order problems.

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Updation: court divided the site, 1/3 to waqf, other 2/3 to VHP

Indian holy site of Ayodhya 'to be divided'

Security in Ayodhya has been tight ahead of the verdict

A court in India has said that a disputed holy site in Ayodhya should be split between Hindus and Muslims, lawyers for the Hindu petitioners say.

However in a majority verdict, judges gave control of the main disputed section, where a mosque was torn down in 1992, to Hindus, lawyers said.

Other parts of the site will be controlled by Muslims and a Hindu sect.

The destruction of the mosque by Hindu extremists led to widespread rioting in which some 2,000 people died.

Officials urged both sides to remain calm and respect the court's verdict.

The Allahabad High Court ruled that the site should be split, with the Muslim community getting control of a third, Hindus another third and the Nirmohi Akhara sect the remainder.

It said that the current status of the site should continue for the next three months to allow for the land to be peacefully measured and divided.

The Hindus will keep the area where a small tent-shrine to Rama has been erected, lawyers said.

"The majority ruled that the location of the makeshift temple is the birthplace of Rama, and this spot cannot be shifted," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a lawyer for one of the parties to the suit.

Lawyers for the Muslim community said they would appeal the ruling in the 60-year-old case to the Supreme Court.

Strange though that in a country known for bureaucracy, the court did not hand the entire site over to the (very bureaucratic) Ayodhya City Government.