In a recent development in the Ayodhya land dispute case, the Supreme Court directed the Cheif Justice of Allahabad to appoint new judicial officers as observers, ANI reported.

The present observers have vacated the office because one of them have retired and another has been elevated to the high court.

On August 11, the Supreme Court said that it will take up the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for hearing on December 5, which also happens to be the eve of the Babri Masjid demolition’s on 25th anniversary. The court was hearing 13 petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict in the case.

The high court gave the verdict that the land should be divided equally among three parties – the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. However, on August 8, the Uttar Pradesh’ Shia Waqf Board had sought to be a party in the case. It told the Supreme Court that a mosque can be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a reasonable distance from the disputed site. “If the Ram temple and mosque co-exist, it will lead to conflicts,” the board told the bench.

The Ram Janmabhoomi-Barbri Masjid case is a land dispute related to the ownership of the 2.7 acres of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land has raged on for decades. On December 6, 1992, Hindu volunteers gathered at the site had demolished the mosque. The incident had triggered communal riots across the country.

The BJP leader had told the court that he has been allowed by the apex court to intervene in the matter and is seeking expeditious disposal of the cases.