Babri Masjid verdict on Sep 24

Lucknow : The cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh are on high alert as the verdict over the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit is awaited on Sept 24.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, while hearing the case, asked all concerned parties to be present before the court on that date at 3:30 pm as the bench will decide who owns the 2.77 acres of disputed land on which Babri Masjid stood.

Law enforcement bodies have been put on high alert in many of the major cities of Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, as the leaves of all security personnel have been cancelled by the state government.

According to reports, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Ayodhya and Faizabad as 22 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and 13 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been asked to keep certain points in the cities under tight guard.

Many schools and colleges in the two cities have been shut for the past fortnight, as they serve as temporary camps for the security forces.

The entire nation will be awaiting the decision by the three-member bench, comprising of Justice S U Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice D V Sharm, in one of the fieriest affairs in the country.

Over 2,000 people were killed in the riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, who claimed the Masjid was built after demolishing a Ram temple in 1528.