Two developments took place on Tuesday with respect to the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute. The Supreme Court constituted a three-judge bench to hear petitions challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case. The hearings will start from August 11 onwards.

On the other hand, the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board said that it is in favour of a shifting of Babri Masjid (now demolished) to a new site. In other words, it has stated in the affidavit filed with the SC that it agrees to the building of the proposed Ram Mandir on the disputed site.

The Board's new position has come to be seen as a twist in the tale. This may well lead to a peaceful resolution of the dispute. Left to the courts, it could take many years. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has been one of the vociferous votaries of Mandir, said that the intervention by the Board is "god-sent".

For the BJP, the settlement of the issue in favour of the Hindu litigants is very significant politically. BJP is the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh and in recent times, its CM Yogi Aditya Nath has raised the issue in his speeches.

Is the 70-year-old legal battle coming to an end? Wait and watch...