NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court judgement in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case runs into 1045 pages, has used 3,03,423 words. Interestingly, the most used word is "Suit", mentioned 1891 times, while the other top words used in the verdict are: Court - 1452; Mosque - 1141; Part - 1122; Dispute - 1082; Property - 1053; Person - 1050; Place - 1049; Hindu - 1032; and Ram - 979. The court on Saturday, (November 9, 2019) settled the centuries-old dispute with regards to 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.


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The five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, directed the Central government to form a scheme within three months in relation to the management of the trust, to whom the land would be handed over, and also to give an appropriate role in the management to the Nirmohi Akhara. The judgement also said that under the Constitution of India, citizens of all faiths, beliefs and creeds seeking divine provenance are both subject to the law and equal before the law.


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The court has referred to the 1856-57 riots that broke out between Hindus and Muslims in the vicinity of the structure, and mentioned that the then colonial government attempted to raise a buffer between the two communities to maintain law and order by setting up a grill-brick wall dividing the premises into two parts: the inner portion which would be used by the Muslim community and the outer portion or courtyard, which would be used by the Hindu community.


In January 1885, Mahant Raghubar Das, claiming to be the Mahant of Ram Janmasthan, instituted a suit before the Sub-Judge, Faizabad seeking permission to build a temple on the Ramchabutra situated in the outer courtyard. The controversy entered a new phase on the intervening night of December 22 and 23, 1949, when the mosque was desecrated by a group of about fifty or sixty people who broke open its locks and placed idols of Lord Ram under the central dome. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered in relation to the incident.


The judgement on the title suit has the index that is elaborately described from A-Introduction to Q-Relief and Directions. The introduction itself has 28 pages with several maps to decribe the whole case and the origin of dispute.


The complete Ayodhya verdict can be read here: https://www.sci.gov.in/pdf/JUD_2.pdf  


In the end, the judgement copy has ADDENDA decribing, "Whether disputed structure is the holy birth place of Lord Ram as per the faith, belief and trust of the Hindus?"


This part is elaborated in 170 points with a conclusion: "It is thus concluded on the conclusion that faith and belief of Hindus since prior to construction of Mosque and subsequent thereto has always been that Janmaasthan of Lord Ram is the place where Babri Mosque has been constructed which faith and belief is proved by documentary and oral evidence discussed above."