The Supreme Court Friday decided to hear a fresh plea challenging the constitutional validity of a 1993 Central law by which the government acquired 67.703 acres of land, including the disputed premises of Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid, in Ayodhya.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi tagged the matter with the main petition on title dispute pending before a constitution bench.
“List the matter before the bench already seized with the issue,” the bench of Chief Justice Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.
The plea, challenging legislative competence of Parliament to acquire religious land, was filed a week after the Centre had moved the apex court seeking modification in its 2003 order and allow it to return to original owners the 67 acres “non-disputed” land around the disputed structure in Ayodhya.
The petition, filed by seven individuals, including two Lucknow-based lawyers claiming to be devotees of Ram Lalla, has contended that Parliament had no legislative competence to acquire land belonging to the state.
Moreover, it said, the state legislature has the exclusive power to make provisions relating to the management of affairs of religious institutions inside its territory.
