Ayodhya Verdict: Anupam Kher prays for 'good sensibilities to prevail'

Ahead of Supreme Court’s verdict on the much-awaited Ayodhya verdict, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher took to his Twitter handle to pray for the 'good sensibilities'. He used the lines from a notable bhajan (Hindu devotional song) Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram (sometimes called Ram Dhun), widely popularized by Mahatma Gandhi.

What is the Ayodhya Land dispute?

While the dispute of the existence of a temple prior to the mosque has been contested for 461 years, the point of contention started when in December 1949, a crowd entered the mosque and installed a Hindu idol beneath the Central dome of the mosque, believed to be the birthplace of Ram. After the incident, the area was sealed off till 1986 - when it was unsealed on the orders of a civil court, allowing Hindus to worship under the Central dome of the mosque where the makeshift temple had been installed. The dispute flared in 1992, when the disputed structure was demolished, after which five cases were filed in the matter, with the Allahabad High Court pronouncing its verdict in 2010.

Ayodhya verdict: Uttar Pradesh DGP details state's security measures

Ayodhya case in SC

The five-judge bench was constituted on January 25, 2019, to hear the long-contested Ayodhya dispute. As the case progressed after the Centre handed over disputed Ayodhya site to original owners, the bench created a 3-member mediation panel. On August 2, a day after the mediation panel submitted the report of mediation to the SC in a sealed cover, the SC stated that the mediation had failed and began day-to-day hearings - which ran for 40 days, along with a parallel mediation process continuing. The SC announced that it would wrap up the hearing on October 17 and announce its judgment by November 17. Finally, on October 16, the Supreme Court concluded its hearing and reserved its order and the mediation panel submitting its settlement report before the Supreme Court after the Sunni Waqf board surrendered its claim over the disputed land in Ayodhya.

UP DGP on security arrangements ahead of Ayodhya verdict