SC referred to books in Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian, French in Ayodhya verdict

On January 10, 2019, the top court had directed its Registry to inspect the records and if required, engage official translators

The Supreme Court referred to books on subjects as diverse as history, culture, archaeology and religion in languages as varied as Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, French and English in its judgment on the politically and religiously sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, but exercised caution in making deductions saying there were "dangers" in interpreting history.

The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, perused 533 documentary exhibits, including religious texts, travelogues, archaeological excavation reports, photographs of the site prior to demolition of the mosque and