NEW DELHI, July 20: The Supreme Court Monday dismissed as “frivolous” two PILs seeking preservation of artefacts recovered from the Ram Janmabhoomi site at Ayodhya.
The top court also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh each on the two petitioners and asked them to pay it within one month.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and Krishan Murari said that a five-judge bench has already given its verdict and this is an attempt through PIL to overreach the judgement.
The counsel appearing for the petitioners said the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust has also accepted that there are many artefacts in the area that need protection.
The bench sought to know as to why the petitioners have come before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution.
“You should stop filing such frivolous petition. What do you mean by this petition? Are you saying that there is no rule of law and the five-judge bench judgement of this court will not be followed by anyone,” the bench said, adding that it intends to dismiss both the petition.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the court should also consider imposing costs.
The bench then said that a cost of Rs 1 lakh each is imposed on both the petitioners which should be paid within one month from Monday.
Petitioners Satish Chindhuji Shambharkar and Dr Ambedkar Foundation have moved the top court seeking preservation of artefacts recovered from the disputed site during the court-monitored excavation done during hearing of the contentious issue at Allahabad High Court.
They have also sought preserving of artefacts which would be recovered after digging the foundation for the new Ram Temple at Ayodhya and said that it should be done under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
On November 9, settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court in a historic verdict backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.
Delivering a unanimous judgement on a case that has long polarised the country and frayed the secular tapestry of Indian society, a five-judge bench of the apex court headed by then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the faith of Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the site was undisputed, and he is symbolically the owner of the land. (PTI)
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