Ayodhya verdict: CJI holds meeting with top brass of UP

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Friday held a meeting with Chief Secretary and DGP of Uttar Pradesh at Supreme Court premises here to assess the security arrangement in the state, ahead of the impending judgment by a five-judge bench in the Ayodhya dispute related to Babri Masjid and Ram Temple.

Chief Secretary Rajendra Prasad Tiwari and DGP O P Singh met the CJI in chambers here since the judgment in the sensitive over seven-decade-old title suit could be pronounced on any date with just only three working days remaining for the head of the judiciary before his retirement on November 17.

Notably, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has already asked all states to remain alert ahead of the Supreme Court judgement on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case, even as it sent around 4,000 paramilitary personnel to Uttar Pradesh, especially in Ayodhya.

A general alert has been sent to all states to ensure law and order and prevent any untoward incident following the verdict. Religious leaders from Hindu and Muslim communities have also issued statement asking people to maintain calm.

A five-judge bench of CJI, and Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer had on October 16 reserved its judgment on appeals filed against September 30, 2010 Allahabad HC verdict directing for equal division of 2.77 acres of land among the Sunni Central Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla Virajman. During the 40-day long hearing, both the Hindu claimed their rights over the land for being the birth-place of Lord Rama while the Muslim sides contended the place belonged to them as the Babri Masjid which was demolished on December 6, 1992.