To offer prayer at Ram Janmabhoomi is my fundamental right: Subramanian Swamy

A day before the Supreme Court is slated to hear the Ayodhya title suit, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday moved a plea before the top court asserting that he has the fundamental right to offer prayer at the disputed site.

Subsequently, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi asked Swamy to be present in the court during the hearing of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute case on Tuesday.

"According to the Constitution, I have the fundamental right to offer prayer there because faith says that Ram was born there. Faith cannot be questioned by a Supreme Court or the Constitution," Swamy told ANI.

"I want that Court should decide about my fundamental right to offer prayer there. If it is decided then the government must provide my right to me. Rights of other parties pertain only to the right to property and compensation. Right to faith comes before these rights," said Swamy.

In January, the Supreme Court had cancelled the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit case slated for January 29 by a five-judge bench due to the unavailability of one of the judges, Justice SA Bobde.

In September last year, a three-judge bench, headed by former CJI Deepak Misra had ruled that the apex court would hear the issue purely as a "land dispute".

The case has been pending before the apex court for the last eight years. Parties in the case and various right-wing organisations have been asking for an early or day-to-day hearing for a long time.