India's Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for a lower court to decide on the ownership of a religious site where the razing of a mosque in 1992 sparked rioting between Hindus and Muslims.   

A verdict on its ownership was to have come on Sept 24 from a lower court in Uttar Pradesh state, but the top court suspended that imminent verdict last week, responding to arguments that a chance should be given to reconciliation in the 60-year-old case.

'The petition stands dismissed,' India's Chief Justice S H Kapadia said, referring to the appeal to seek deferment of any verdict on the ownership issue.

The court in Uttar Pradesh will now announce a date for its verdict. One of the judges trying the case retires on Oct 1. That could mean a verdict may be announced in the next two days or delayed indefinitely until a new judge takes over.   

Many fear the verdict could spark off religious riots and more trouble for the government, which already has its hands full dealing with a rebellion in Kashmir and rushing against the clock to set right preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

The decades-old case over the 16th century Babri mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya town is one of the biggest security challenges in India this year, along with a Maoist insurgency and a Kashmiri separatist rebellion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said. - Reuters