Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the nation over the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict, saying there is no space for negativity, bitterness and fear in new India. He also praised the country's judicial system for its "willpower". The disputed 2.77 acre land in Ayodhya will be given to a government-run trust for building a temple and Muslims will be given a five-acre "suitable" plot in the town, the Supreme Court announced today in a landmark verdict in the decades-old land dispute case. A five-judge constitution bench delivered a unanimous verdict.The verdict came almost a decade after the Allahabad High Court had partitioned the disputed site in the ratio of 2:1 between Hindu and Muslim litigants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Punjab's Gurdaspur to inaugurate the Indian side of the Kartarpur corridor, said the Ayodhya verdict will "reaffirm people's faith in judicial process". "The Honourable Supreme Court has given its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. This verdict shouldn't be seen as a win or loss for anybody. Be it Ram Bhakti or Rahim Bhakti, it is imperative that we strengthen the spirit of Rashtra Bhakti. May peace and harmony prevail!" PM Modi tweeted. Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the judgment and said that the order "will further strengthen India's unity, integrity and great culture".
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has expressed dis-satisfaction with the verdict. "We think it is unjust... We can't consider this justice. We are not criticizing all parts of judgment," said Zafaryab Jilani, the lawyer of the Muslim group. They said they will hold a meeting and take a call on whether a review petition should be filed.
Explaining its decision to grant the disputed site for a temple, the court had said the Archaeological Survey of India has found evidence that the 16th Century mosque of Mughal Emperor Babar was not built on vacant land.
The country has been put on high alert to ensure that no violence breaks out following the verdict. At least 12,000 security personnel have been posted in Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is situated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets, said that the "Ayodhya verdict will not be anybody's victory or loss", adding that it was the priority of the country's citizens to maintain harmony.
The security cover of the five judges have also been increased ahead of the Ayodhya verdict. Two helicopters have been kept on standby in Lucknow and Ayodhya to tackle any possible emergency. Security arrangements in Delhi have also been tightened.
The dispute has dominated political discourse since the 1980s. In 1992, rightwing activists tore down the 16th century Babri mosque which they believed was built on the ruins of an ancient temple that marked the birthplace of the Lord Ram. More than 2,000 people were killed in the riots that followed post the incident.
The disputed land -- spanning an area of over 2.77 acres -- in Ayodhya has been claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. While Hindu activists want to build a temple on the site, Muslim groups claim there is no proof that a temple existed there.
The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had prescribed a three-way division of the disputed land but the verdict failed to satisfy the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, the parties involved in the dispute. All three moved the Supreme Court.