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WORLD  Ayodhya Court Ruling Delayed FROM BBC NEWS  IMDIA, Mar 6 (VNN) — India's Supreme Court has delayed making a judgement on whether religious activities can take place around a holy site disputed between Hindus and Muslims. The judgement was expected on Thursday. It is not clear when the verdict will now be given. The site, in the northern city of Ayodhya, houses the remains of a 16th Century mosque destroyed by a Hindu mob 10 years ago. Hardline Hindus say that the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple which marked the birthplace of the Hindu God Ram. The destruction of the mosque on 6 December 1992 sparked off religious riots across India in which more than 2,000 people died. Last year the Supreme Court had banned the use of land around the disputed site for religious purposes, to calm tensions between Hindus and Muslims. But now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led federal government wants the ban lifted. 'Nothing should change' On Thursday, government lawyer Kirit Rawal argued that the ban ran counter to an earlier ruling in which only the disputed site was to be left untouched until a solution was reached. The land around it, which had been acquired by the government in the aftermath of the mosque's demolition, should be returned to its owners, Mr Rawal argued. But lawyers representing the Muslims said that nothing should change until all cases relating to the Ayodhya dispute were settled, since it would increase religious tensions. The BJP is under pressure from Hindu hardliners to hand over a part of the land to them so that they can begin work on building a Hindu temple. Excavation In a significant ruling on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh High Court ordered the excavation of the Ayodhya site to determine if a temple existed there. But, the court said, no digging should take place on the core area, which now houses a makeshift Hindu temple. It also said that the exercise should not disrupt Hindu devotees from praying at the site, which is now allowed at restricted times. Full Story URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2824671.stm Copyright BBC News Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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