India court ends hearings on disputed religious site, decision in weeks

FILE PHOTO: People look at a model of a proposed Ram temple that Hindu groups want to build at a disputed religious site in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Pawan Kumar/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered an end to hearings in a long-running dispute between Hindus and Muslims over a place of worship, laying the ground for a verdict that could lead to further divisions.

Hindus believe that the site in the northern town of Ayodhya is the birthplace of god-king Lord Ram and want a temple built on the ruins of a mosque that was torn down by zealots in 1992, triggering riots across the country.