SC dismisses NGO plea on disputed Ayodhya site

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the plea of a non-governmental organisation to intervene in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.

Dismissing the petition of the NGO, Popular Front of India, a bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha, however, agreed to hear the plea of another petitioner Mohammad Hasim, who was one of the parties before the Allahabad high court in the title dispute.

The bench tagged the petition with a bunch of other petitions filed by different parties against the September 30, 2010, verdict of the high court which ordered a three-way division of the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The apex court had on May 9 dubbed as "strange" the high court's verdict of three-way division of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya and had stayed its operation saying none of the parties had demanded the partition of the land.

"A new dimension was given by the high court as the decree of partition was not sought by the parties. It was not prayed by anyone. It has to be stayed. It's a strange order," the bench had said.

It expressed surprise over how the high court could pass such an order when it was not prayed by anyone.

While ordering status quo at the site, which means that prayers at Ram Lalla's make-shift temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya would go on as usual, the court had restrained any kind of religious activity on the adjacent 67 acre land which had been taken over by the Centre.