Nation waits with bated breath for Ayodhya verdict

The Allahabad high court will deliver its judgment tomorrow on the 60-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid, an issue that had changed the course of politics in the last two decades and has the nation worried over the fallout of the verdict.

Security was ramped up across the country and leaders cutting across  political and religious spectrum appealed for calm on the eve of the verdict on four title suits on the ownership of the land where the Ramjanmabhoomi- Babri Masjid site is located.

With Supreme Court clearing hurdles, the verdict by the 3-judge bench consisting of justices SU Khan, justices Sudhir Agarwal and justice DV Sharma will be delivered at 3:30pm tomorrow and the court has been turned into a virtually impregnable fortress having been declared as a "no access zone".

The first suit in the case was filed 60 years ago by a Hindu seeking right to worship. After twists and turns the UP Central Sunni Board of Waqfs moved to file a claim in 1961 followed by another civil suit in 1989 in the name of lord Ram for declaration and possession of the Masjid complex.

All the cases were transferred from a Faizabad court in 1989 to a special bench of the high court.

As the issue was hanging fire, the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits mounted a campaign for building Ram temple in Ayodhya at the dispute site claiming it was his birth place. The campaign reached a crescendo in 1992 when the 500-year-old Babri masjid was razed to the ground.

BJP came to power in 1998 but the party has not not been able to script a success since the 2004 elections and observers believe the Ayodhya issue may have lost its its steam down the years.

However, not leaving anything to chance prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and home minister P Chidambaram appealed to the people to accept the verdict and maintain peace and tranquility.

They  stressed that no attempt should be made by any section of the people to provoke another section after the verdict.  Leaders felt that tomorrow's verdict was not not the final word as legal process was still available to parties to approach the Supreme Court.

The BJP also made it clear that they respect the judicial process and want peace and calm.

Chidambaram summed up the situation saying India has "moved on since  1992" and the country's young people have recognised that India story is much more than a dispute over a religious place.

"The Central government has taken adequate measures and has deployed adequate security forces all over the country in order to assist the state governments to maintain law, order and peace," he told a press conference.

Chidambaram said around 1.90 lakh security personnel have been deployed in Uttar Pradesh which he felt was more than enough to maintain law and order.

Only persons related to the title suit will be allowed entry in Court No 21 and no exit from the room are permitted till the verdict has been delivered, Lucknow district magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar said in Lucknow.

Security was also beefed up in the rest of the country and reinforcements tightened in and around the disputed site in Uttar Pradesh, which has been placed under high alert.

Intensive searches were being carried out in the twin towns on Ayodhya and Faizabad and security personnel deployed there have been equipped with tear gas shells and rubber bullets.

Intelligence units have also been put on high alert to monitor movement and activities of anti-social elements.

As a preventive measure, aerial survey, including at night, of sensitive places, including Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya has been done, a senior official said in Lucknow.

A heavy reinforcement of CRPF personnel has been deployed in and around the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high Court. Security of the three judges on the bench has already been beefed up.

Borders with adjoining Nepal and Uttarakhand have been sealed and a strict vigil was being maintained on all those coming to the state from these sides. As a preventive measure, liquor and firecrackers shops would remain closed tomorrow.

The Centre has kept forces in readiness at 16 places for quick deployment, including by helicopters and heavy lift aircraft like IL-76 and An-32.

The home ministry has issued an advisory to states and Union Territories to keep the forces on high alert as the judgment could trigger "sharp reactions".

An alert has been sounded in Jammu to maintain peace, communal harmony and law and order. Peace committees of various religions have been set up in the districts to maintain harmony.

Rajasthan Police alerted senior officers in all the 33 districts to ensure public order, peace and harmony.

Internal security has been beefed up and intelligence agencies have been alerted to avert crisis or meet any exigency that may arise after the verdict, Additional director general of police (law and order) Navdeep Singh said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Kerala as a precautionary measure ahead of the verdict. Over 30,000 police personnel, including rapid action force, anti-sabotage and strike forces and bomb squad, would be deployed from midnight across the state.

The Karnataka government has banned protests, demonstrations and processions to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state.

State home minister R Ashoka reviewed the situation with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police in districts through video-conferencing and directed them to take all steps to maintain law and order.

Tight vigil is being maintained in Tamil Nadu and extra forces have been deployed in sensitive cities like Coimbatore and Tirunelveli ahead of the verdict.

"The entire state police of about one lakh has been mobilised and we are deploying additional forces at hyper-sensitive places such as Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Vellore and Hosur among others," ADGP (Law and Order) K Radhakrishnan said.

Heavy security arrangements have been made by Madhya Pradesh government to ensure that there is no untoward incident after the verdict, inspector general (law & order and security) Ashok Kumar Soni said.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

"In the past there has been no unwanted situation and in the present scenario also, I hope that no such situation will occur here. I appeal to all to maintain peace," he told reporters in Kolkata.

The Orissa government too sounded an alert across the state.

"We have directed all district magistrates and superintendents of police to remain alert to the situation," chief minister Naveen Patnaik told reporter.

Any overt display of victory or defeat after the pronouncement of verdict has also been banned by the administration. "Any such attempts will be firmly dealt with," deputy inspector general Rajeev Krishna said.

The state police have detained nearly 1,500 persons across the city where about 2,000 paramilitary have been deployed to maintain vigil.

However, Krishna said there were no restrictions on movement of people anywhere in the city except in the area surrounding the high court.

He said that schools, colleges and offices will remain open tomorrow.