Disputed Ayodhya land never belonged to Nirmohi Akhara: Muslim bodies to SC

The disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri masjid land at Ayodhya "never belonged" to Nirmohi Akhara either under the law on trusteeship or due to its right as 'shebait' (devotee) of deity Ram Lalla, Muslim bodies told Supreme Court on Wednesday.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which heard the land dispute case on the 21st day, was told by senior lawyer Rajeev Dhavan, counsel for Muslim parties, that Akhara cannot overcome the legal hurdle that its 1959 lawsuit to re-claim alleged possession over the site was time-barred under the limitation law.

Akhara, which was granted one-third of the disputed 2.77 acre land by the Allahabad High Court, has said, "The 'Janmsthan' now commonly known as 'Janmabhoomi' belongs and has always belonged to it."