Plea seeks panel to verify Ram temple built on court-adjudicated land

NEW DELHI — A fresh plea before the Supreme Court has sought constitution of an independent committee or commission to verify that the Ram temple at Ayodhya stands on the specific land parcel that was allocated in the apex court's landmark 2019 judgment.

The petition requests direction for a comprehensive independent survey and demarcation of the temple premises to ensure compliance with the court's original verdict. The plea comes years after the contentious Ayodhya dispute was resolved through the judiciary, bringing an end to decades of legal proceedings over the site.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on November 9, 2019, a five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court adjudicated the long-running dispute over the 2.77-acre plot where the Babri Masjid once stood before its demolition in 1992. The court had ruled that the land would be handed over to a newly constituted trust for construction of the Ram temple.

As part of the settlement, the court directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot at a prominent location in Ayodhya to the Sunni Waqf Board for construction of a new mosque. The temple construction project has since progressed significantly, with the main structure completed and consecration ceremonies conducted.

The petition now seeks to establish through independent verification that the constructed temple aligns precisely with the land boundaries and premises specified in the 2019 apex court verdict.