"We Ram-bhakts, today, as part of this programme, take this pledge that at the earliest, the Ram Mandir be constructed. Jai Shri Ram," the video showed him saying.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted time till October 31 to the Centre to file its response to a batch of pleas challenging certain provisions of a 1991 law that prohibits filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.
A revealing excerpt from Mani Shankar Aiyar's fascinating new book, The Rajiv I Knew.
The former UP CM said he did not remember clearly what exactly he had said 'against' BJP on the Ayodhya issue.
The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
During the hearing, the 92-year-old senior lawyer had told the apex court that it must do 'full and complete justice' in all matters before it and that his last wish before he died was to finish the case.
The bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprise of Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud.
The Akhara counsel told the apex court that their suit was basically for belongings, possession and management rights.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad high court to nominate two additional district judges within ten days as observers to deal with the upkeep and maintenance of the disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.
The verdict by a special court in the Babri Masjid demolition case comes 28 years after kar sevaks razed the 16th century mosque and almost a year after the Supreme Court settled the land case in favour of a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday held a meeting of his party leaders from Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and other divisions regarding his visit to Ayodhya in June.
Ruling out giving up its claim on the mosque in Ayodhya, the Sunni Central Waqf Board on Thursday said exploring possibilities for an amicable solution to the dispute without a concrete proposal was a 'futile exercise'.
Tells the Liberhan Commission that the charge against Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi of being part of a conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid was made out of anger.
On the eve of 22nd anniversary of Babri mosque demolition, the temple town has turned into a fortress with nearly 10,000 security personnel deployed amid calls by Muslim outfits to mark the day by hoisting black flags even as Hindu bodies seek to commemorate it.
The apex court said the parties in the matter should be ready to start the hearing on the appeals which are before it.
Thackeray said people should be aware of how religious issues are raked up to distract their attention from core issues.
The pontiff's fresh peace initiative has been rejected by both the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board while the Centre has termed it as a 'personal initiative'.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and P S Narasimha made the important observation during an hour-long hearing of the Gyanvapi mosque dispute and said that it has dealt with provisions of the Places of Worship Act in its 2019 Ayodhya verdict and section 3 does not expressly bar ascertaining of the religious character of the place of worship.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the bench said it has not received the information from the high court yet.
The SC has banned all religious activity in the 77 acres of land acquired by the government after the Babri mosque's demolition.
In what could be a turning point in the Ayodhya dispute, the Archaeological Survey of India has reported to the high court that its excavations found distinctive features of a 10th century temple beneath the Babri Mosque site.
SP leader Maurya had on Sunday alleged that certain portions of the Ramcharitmanas 'insult' a large section of society on the basis of caste and these should be 'banned'.
Katiyar, however, made it clear that a final decision on these contentious matters will be taken by saints.
The participants lauded the government and the people for ensuring harmony after the apex court verdict on Saturday.
Justice S A Bobde will not be available on January 29.
Ram Vilas Vedanti said Advani tried to persuade the karsevaks to come down from atop of the structure.
A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that even if one per cent chance of mediation exists in the politically sensitive land dispute matter, it should be done.
Maharashtra NCP's chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of following the use-and-throw policy and added that Raj Thackeray "will have to pay for his own karma".
'It is entirely possible that there are many treasures of our history and our faith buried deep underground,' points out Rajeev Srinivasan.
Iqbal Ansari, one of the main plaintiffs who fought for the right of the community over the disputed land, says Muslims in Ayodhya won't be satisfied if the Sunni Waqf Board accepts the five acres in Dhannipur.
The Centre had sought an early hearing in view of the VHP's dharam sansad, slated for February 22.
'Whenever the Government of India throws the debris, they will not take such care of the mosque's debris and Muslims may object to such a move at that time.'
A Lucknow bench of justices Ramesh Sinha and Saroj Yadav passed the order on the appeal by two Ayodhya residents -- Haji Mahmood Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad.
They also termed as 'unwarranted' and 'unfortunate', the submission of Muslim parties that the archaeological report be trashed.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party claimed the foundation stone ceremony in Ayodhya is "personality centric and political party centric".
'The locals want a permanent solution to the perennial Mandir-Masjid issue. They have realised political parties will lose relevance if a temple is built.'
Though Mohammed Hashim Ansari was the oldest litigant in the case and was against the Ram temple coming up at the site, he never spoke ill of his neighbours who were Hindus.
'BJP is cutting him down to size as he is trying to emerge a Hindutva national hero.'
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad was on Monday refused permission by the Uttar Pradesh government to organise a yatra from Ayodhya to push for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site, just days after it asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to work as a bridge between Hindus and Muslims on the issue.
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