Ayodhya verdict: Shia Waqf Board appeal dismissed; land belongs to govt

The Supreme Court on Saturday dismissed the appeal of the Shia Waqf Board in the politically sensitive Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case in Ayodhya and held that the land belongs to the government as per revenue records.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi gave a unanimous verdict dismissing the Shia Waqf Board's appeal in the case over the disputed structure.

It said the disputed land was government land in the revenue records.

On September 16, the bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, reserved its decision after a 40-day high voltage hearing in the dispute involving 2.77 acres of land.

Fourteen appeals were filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits. It said the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.