India’s Top Court Hands Bitterly Disputed Ayodhya Site to Hindus
- Muslim groups will receive alternative plot of land for mosque
- Response to test India’s ability to deal with sensitive issue
A man points to an old map of Ayodhya in Jaipur on Aug. 11, 2019.
Photographer: Himanshu Vyas/Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
India’s top court handed Hindus complete ownership of a controversial plot of land for construction of a temple in the northern city of Ayodhya, an order that may deepen religious polarization in the South Asian country.
In the unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court’s five-judge panel ruled the land where a 16th century mosque was razed in 1992 originally belonged to Hindus and will be handed to a trust managed by the government for now. Hindu groups believe the site is the birthplace of the god Ram.