Ayodhya: Lawyers for Hindu parties say faith reaffirmed by SC; Muslim parties voice dissatisfaction

Lawyers for Hindu parties on Saturday said the Supreme Court judgment granting the entire 2.77 acre of disputed land in Ayodhya to deity Ram Lalla has reaffirmed their faith while the Muslim parties voiced dissatisfaction, saying there were lot of contradictions in the verdict. The apex court on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who had represented the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government in the title dispute, welcomed the verdict. "It is a historical verdict in more than one ways. All five Judges deserve unequivocal commendation for having adjudicated a dispute which was the oldest legal dispute of the present century.

"The judgment, considering the peculiar facts of case, being unanimous demonstrates judicial statesmanship and reflects a rare combination of intellectual maturity," the law officer told PTI. He said the country's highest court, living by its "own glorious past", has balanced justice on both sides strictly according to law after painstakingly analysing the intricacies of law involved and checkered facts dating back to several centuries.

"This landmark verdict and the elaborate process undertaken by the highest court of the nation has reinforced and reaffirmed the faith and trust of a common man that his rights are in the safest possible hands of this great judicial institution," Mehta said. Senior advocate P S Narasimha, who had appeared for deity Ram Lalla Virajman in the title dispute, said they are grateful to the court for respecting their religion.

"The faith of Hindus has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court verdict. We had faith before the mosque. We had faith during the mosque and we had faith after the demolition of the mosque and there was continuous worship by the Hindus," said Narsimha. "We are grateful to the institution of judiciary for the extraordinary measures for restituting the historical belief. We are grateful to the court which has shown great respect to our religion and belief which brings amity and affection in the society," he added.

Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board's Zafaryab Jilani expressed his dissatisfaction over the verdict. He said there were lot of contradictions in the judgement.

"The Ayodhya verdict holds no value for us. We are dissatisfied with the verdict. It has lot of contradictions," senior advocate Jilani said. Senior advocate Aman Sinha, who had appeared for All India Arya Samaj, said that complete unanimity on all points of the judgment in a five-judge bench of the apex court was "rare".

"The unanimous decision of the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India in Ram Janmbhoomi matter is a historic, momentous and landmark decision. It is very rare that in a five judges bench of the Supreme Court, there is a complete unanimity on all points of the judgment. "This judgment has resolved the longest pending case of independent India and longest running dispute of India for centuries. The judgment needs to be welcomed by all as this will bring justice to the parties and promote a spirit of unity, brotherhood and harmony in the society which will usher in an era of peace and progress for India," he said.

Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, who had also appeared for the deity, welcomed the judgment, saying it is a victory for the people. "It is a very balanced judgment and it is a victory for the people of India," he said.

The Nirmohi Akhara said it has no regrets over the Supreme Court saying that it is not a 'shebait' of deity Ram Lalla. "We have no regrets on this because we were batting for Ram Lalla. The court has accepted Ram Lalla's side and with this, our motive was fulfilled," Nirmohi Akhara member Mahant Dharmdas told PTI.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi welcomed the verdict and said it is not possible that the judgment would be satisfying for all but the fact that the top court delivered a unanimous verdict in the complex matter sends a strong message. "This shall lead to finality of the issue. The very fact that it is a unanimous judgment is being under appreciated. It is in itself a strong message. No judgment can satisfy everybody. The verdict will close doors of politicising the issue," he tweeted.

Advocate Varun Kumar Sinha, who had appeared for the Hindu Mahasabha, said, "This judgement establishes communal harmony. The common man welcomes it. It is historic." BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted, "Only when Lord Rama wanted, the green light for re-building the temple is being given. Jai Shri Ram."

In one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India's history, the top court put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)