Nirmohi Akhara chief Mahant Bhaskar Das breathed his last during the wee hours on Saturday, September 16 due to heart attack. The 88-year-old Das is extremely popular with those following the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case as he was the main litigant from Nirmohi Akhara which has laid claim to the disputed site.

Das was born in Gorakhpur in 1929. He came to Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya while he was still a teenager. He was made a priest at the Nirmohi Akhara dedicated to the worship of Lord Rama. After his guru Baldev Das died in 1986, Bhaskar took over the reins of Hanuman Garhi. He took over the Nirmohi Akhara in 1993. In 1959, Bhaskar legally claimed the ownership of the Ram-Janmabhoomi site.

With his death and the case still pending —the Supreme Court will resume the hearing of the case in December this year, Ram Das, the disciple of Bhaskar Das is likely to appear as a litigant in the apex court.

Incidentally, with Bhaskar’s death, the two main litigants representing the Hindus and the Muslims in the title dispute will not be there in the apex court to pursue their case. Hashim Ansari had died in July 2016.

—India Legal Bureau