Ayodhya case: SC to deliver key verdict today

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is likely to deliver a crucial verdict Thursday afternoon that could impact whether a temple will be built at Ayodhya or not.

It's also one of the last verdicts that the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, could deliver before he retires.

The Supreme Court will decide whether to revisit the issue of whether namaz or prayers can be offered anywhere - or whether a mosque is an essential part of the practice of Islam and is needed for the congregation and to pray.

In 1994, the Supreme Court said that namaz could be offered anywhere and that a mosque was not necessary for this. It also ruled that the government could, therefore, if needed, acquire the land that a mosque is built on. See P6