Centre moves SC to return Babri land to owners

The Union government has approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to restore the land, except the disputed one, around the Babri Masjid and Ram temple in Ayodhya, to its original owners.

The Centre sought modification of the status quo order on a large portion of 67.7 acres of land other than the disputed part.

The Centre contended that out of the total land sought to be acquired, 42 acres should be returned to its original owner, Ram Janmabhumi Nyas. This would be other than the disputed structure on 0.313 acres of land, it said.

The application was filed on Monday in the 2002 writ petition by Mohd Aslam alias Bhure.

The top court had passed the status quo order on March 31, 2003.

The land was sought to be acquired by the passing of 'Acquisition of Certain Areas of Ayodhya Act, 1993'.

In its application, the Union government said 25 years have gone by since the acquisition of land in 1993, the original owners of the land, which is not in dispute, should be handed over the land. "They are entitled to get their land. The government is duty bound to restore the land to the original owners," it stated.

The government sought permission to revert back or restore the "superfluous" land to the original owners.