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Indian Court Rules in Favor of Hindu Temple on Disputed Land

Associated Press

   NEW DELHI - India's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Hindu temple
   on a disputed religious ground and ordered that alternative land be
   given to Muslims.

   The dispute over land ownership has been one of the country's most
   contentious issues.

   The 16th-century Babri Masjid mosque was destroyed by Hindu hard-liners
   in December 1992.

   The Supreme Court said in a judgment Saturday that 5 acres (2.02
   hectares) of land will be allotted to the Muslim community in the
   northern Indian town of Ayodhya.

   The disputed land will be given to a board of trustees for the
   construction of a temple for Hindu god Ram.

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