SC allows tarpaulin change at Ram temple

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a plea for replacement of old and worn out plastic sheet cover over the makeshift Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The court permitted authorised officer, Faizabad Commissioner, to replace the old and worn out polythene sheets over the makeshift temple in terms of the earlier order issued on March 7.

The work has to be performed under the supervision of two observers. The court passed its order depending on the report sent by the observers on July 5.

A three-judge bench presided over by Justice T S Thakur also directed various parties, including the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla Virajman, who are claiming ownership to the disputed site, to appear before the apex court registrar to get the copy of the CD containing digitalised records relating to the case.

Digital records
“Someday or the other, the case (civil appeal) has to be heard. Even after 10 or 15 years, whenever the matter comes up, one has to proceed in a methodical manner. We don't have any policy (particular line of opinion) in the case,” the bench observed and told the counsel to sit across the table with the registry officials to decide on the matter.
On May 9, 2011, the apex court had directed the registry to make the digital records available to the parties.

The court made the observation as senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing the Sunni Waqf Board, contended that the case relating to civil appeal against the Allahabad High Court order of 2010 relating to the disputed structure has to be heard.

On September 30, 2010, the Allahabad High Court had passed three separate judgments with the majority verdict holding that the area covered by the central dome of the then three-domed structure, where the idol of Lord Ram was situated, belonged to Hindus.

 The bench, comprising Justices S U Khan and Sudhir Agarwal, had said that the entire disputed land should be divided into three parts giving one part each to the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the parties representing “Ram Lalla Virajman”, while Justice Dharam Veera Sharma had held that the entire disputed area belonged to the Hindus. The apex court later stayed the operation of the decree passed by the high court in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute and directed for maintaining status quo.