BJP's pre-poll Ayodhya move: Seeking to hand over 'excess' land to Ram temple trust

Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas is a trust formed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad members to oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

After the Babri Masjid demolition, the Centre had in 1993 acquired 67 acres of disputed land. This situation has not changed.

According to Monday's application to the apex court, the Narendra Modi government now wants to release a portion of this land.

The Centre has sought modification of the Supreme Court's orders in 2003 and 2011 by which a complete status quo was imposed on entire 67.7 acre of the land acquired by the government in 1993.

The government submitted that before the court that the original landowners, which included 42 acre of acquired land of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, were "entitled" to get their land back.

The plea has said that the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas had sought return of excess land acquired in 1991 to original owners.

"It is respectfully submitted that the acquisition took place in the year 1993 and 25 years have passed, the original landowners whose land, which were not in dispute but were still acquired, are entitled to get it back and the Central government is duty bound to restore/revert/hand over the same land," said the application.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The government pointed out that outcome of the appeal pending before the Supreme Court at this stage will not have any impact on the excess land that was acquired and hence there is no legal impediment in allowing the Centre to restore the land to the Nyas and other original land owners.

Reports said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has backed the move by the Centre.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court notified that the Ayodhya case, which was scheduled to be taken up for hearing on Tuesday (January 29), will not be taken up because one of the five judges on the constitution bench had become unavailable.

The sitting "stands cancelled" because Judge S.A. Bobde is unavailable on Tuesday, said a notification from the Supreme Court.

The notification did not mention the next hearing date.

The other judges on the bench are Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Abdul Nazeer, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.

The CJI had reconstituted the bench on Friday after Justice U.U. Lalit had recused himself from the five-judge bench saying he had been a lawyer in a related case.