New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday held that the "possessory claim of the Hindus to the composite whole of the disputed property stands on a better footing than the evidence from the Muslims."
The court saw a clear evidence of the worship by Hindus in the outer courtyard, which continued unimpeded in spite of the setting up of a grille-brick wall in 1857.
"The Muslims have offered no evidence to indicate that they were in exclusive possession of the inner structure (the birthplace of Lord Ram) prior to 1857, since the date of the construction in the sixteenth century," observed the court.
The Hindus' possession of the outer courtyard was established, the court said. In connection with the inner courtyard, it observed that there is evidence on a preponderance of probabilities to establish worship by the Hindus prior to the annexation of Oudh by the British in 1857.
