Babri mosque verdict: Disputed land given for temple, alternate land for mosque

India’s security forces were on high alert as the Supreme Court of India were announcing its verdict in a decades-old land title dispute between Muslims and Hindus over plans to build a Hindu temple on a site where Hindu hard-liners demolished a 16th century mosque in 1992, sparking deadly religious riots.

In a unanimous decision, Shia petition has been dismissed, reported The Hindu.

The demolition of Babri Mosque in 1992 was a violation of law, the bench said, and ordered an alternate land for Muslims in a suitable, prominent place. It will be acquired by the government, media reports.

The court asked the Centre to formulate a scheme within three months and set up a trust. The trust will hold possession of the disputed site.

"There is adequate material in ASI report to conclude the following: Babri Masjid not constructed on vacant land. There was a structure underlying the disputed structure. The underlying structure was not an Islamic structure," said Supreme Court of India.

"But the ASI report does not say if the structure was demolished for the mosque. It has left unanswered this critical point: whether temple was demolished for mosque."

"This court must accept faith and accept belief of worshippers," India's Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi's was quoted as saying. "Court should preserve balance."

"The mosque was not abandoned by the Muslims."