On Saturday, the Supreme Court of India delivered one of the most historic judgements in independent India, ending the dispute that spanned centuries by handing over the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid land to the Hindu parties, making way for Hindu devotees to have a grand Ram Mandir at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
The five-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India, in a unanimous judgement declared that the Sunni Waqf Board, which was a party to the seven-decade-old title suit, should be given an alternate five-acre land within three months at some other place in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque.
Here’s a look at how newspapers across the country covered the historic decision on Sunday morning.
Telegraph – the ultra-left wing rag, perhaps disappointed with the Supreme Court judgement, as usual, peddled its anti-Hindu agenda by stating that judgement was ‘in the name of ram and site is now “Hindu-stan”.
However, the other newspapers were more nuanced and presented clear facts pertaining to the Supreme Court’s judgement.
Leading Hindi daily Amar Ujala titled its report as “Ramlalla Virajman” and referred the judgement as to the dawn of Ram Raj.
Another Hindi daily Dainik Jagran displayed a large portrait of Lord Ram and a representational image of proposed Ram mandir on its front page following the historic verdict of the Supreme Court.
Dainik Bhaskar put out a headline “Ramlalla hi Virajman” and presented a brief report on the SC verdict. Interestingly, the front page had a report on archaeologist KK Muhammad, who was a part of the team of archaeologists that had carried out the first excavation at the site in 1976-77, which confirmed that there is enough archaeological proof of a grand temple below the Babri Mosque.
The Hindi daily – Hindustan, part of the Hindustan Times group, also displayed a grand temple of Lord Ram at Ayodhya and titled its front-page report with “The road to Ram Mandir is clear”.
Prabhat Khabar put out an image of Supreme Court on its front page and put a report with the title “Ayodhya Ram Ki”, meaning, Ayodhya is of Lord Ram.
Prabhat Khabar also mentioned how the Muslim parties will get a 5 acre land in Ayodhya only for a mosque.
Indian Express, cheekily said that the site over which the dispute spanned over the years will now have a temple in its place while the mosque which was constructed after demolishing the ancient temple will get the 5 acre plot.
Hindustan Times had an image of the bricks with ‘Shri Ram’ written, which are at the site in Ayodhya, waiting to be part of a grand temple with a headline ‘Temple set in stone’.
Leading English daily Times of India, too, had a word play on the Mandir getting the site which was under dispute since years.
Mumbai Mirror, a part of the Times Group, referred to the 5 acre plot allotted to Muslim parties as ‘fragile peace’ after the judgement favoured Ram Lalla Virajman.
