Supreme Court refuses to refer Babri-Masjid case to a larger bench, hearing to begin on October 29

The three-judge bench of Supreme Court on Thursday refused to refer the Babri-Masjid demolition case to a larger bench.

Justice Ashok Bhushan said there are two opinions - one by Justice Bhushan and CJI Dipak Misra, and second by Justice S Nazeer.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Ismail Faruqui, who had challenged SC's 1994 judgement in which the top court declared that offering Namaz or prayers at mosque was not among fundamentals of Islam unless the place was of any particular importance.

Muslim litigants had filed for reconsideration of the judgement after the Allahabad High Court in 2010 ordered that the disputed site be divided into three parts. The three parts included one for deity (Ramlala Virajmaan), another for Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu sect and third for Muslims.

The 25-year dispute revolves around a plot of land measuring 2.77 acres in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The land houses the Babri mosque and Ram Janmabhoomi. This piece of land is considered sacred among Hindus and Muslims. In Hinduism, it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of the most revered deities of the religion and for Islam, it is the land that houses the Babri mosque, where Muslims had offered prayers for years before the dispute.

The apex court will begin hearing on the Ayodhya matter from October 29, 2018.