7 Key Issues to Determine

NEW DELHI: India awaits its Ayodhya moment on Thursday, almost 18 years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 that placed the country on a communal volcano which has periodically erupted from time to time. Today, individuals, parties and organizations who appealed for peace, hope the court verdict won’t lead to another eruption.At the end of the long-drawn judicial process stretching back to 1949, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court will pronounce its verdict at 3.30pm on the Ayodhya title suits — the first such order on the dispute. It may not resolve the row over whether a temple predated the mosque at the disputed site, but will certainly cast some light on the title claims.Given the emotive nature of the dispute, the Centre has cranked up its vigil, and has also goaded states vulnerable to communal tensions to do so. But there was also a hope that the moment will pass off without causing the sort of turbulence triggered by the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign and the Babri demolition.The optimism stems chiefly from two factors: The issue has lost the potency it once had. It is also felt that while many of the partisans in the temple-mosque dispute have moved on, the youth have only a faint memory of the wrenching fight for the disputed site.Whether the disputed site was a 'bhakt place' of Bhagwan RamWhether disputed structure was a mosqueWhen was it built and by whomWhether mosque was built after demolishing Hindu templeWhether idols were placed in the night of Dec 22-23, 1949Whether the claim is time-barredWhat will be the status of disputed site - inner and courtyard