Nirmohi Akhara moves Supreme Court against Centre’s Ayodhya ‘surplus’ land return plea

Nirmohi Akhara moves Supreme Court against Centre’s Ayodhya ‘surplus’ land return plea

1. Nirmohi Akhara, one of the main litigants in the Ayodhya case, has filed a plea in the Supreme Court, opposing the Centre’s move to transfer excess land around the disputed site to its original owners. The land was acquired by the government in 1993 under the Ayodhya Acquisition Act
2. In January 2019, the Centre had moved to the SC to seek permission to return all excess acquired to Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (RJN), a trust formed to promote and oversee the construction of a Ram temple. The centre has sought a modification in 2003 SC judgement by which the Central government was directed to maintain the “status quo” with regard to entire land including the non-disputed acquired plots.
3. However, Nirmohi Akhara has opposed Centre’s move and advocated that release of these lands would undermine the outcomes of pleas on Ayodhya case pending in the Supreme Court.
4. In March 2019, the Supreme Court had ordered mediation to attempt a solution to the Ayodhya dispute. The court formed a mediation panel headed by retired Supreme Court judge F M Ibrahim Kalifulla. Spiritual teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu are the other panel members.