Activists move SC for intervention in Ayodhya dispute to protect “secular fabric of the country”

A group of civil rights activists today moved the Supreme Court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute.

The plea, filed by 32 people, urged the apex court to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far- reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

The top court had on 11 August said it would commence the final hearing in the long-standing title dispute from 5 December, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the medieval-era structure.

"The applicants are public spirited citizens from various walks from life and across the length and breadth of India who feel it is critical as a commitment to the foundational value contained in this constitution, to intervene and inject an urgency and a sane voice in this dispute," the plea said.

The Allahabad High Court had ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Lord Ram Lalla (deity).

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among the three parties. PTI