CPI leader accuses political parties of taking advantage of mandir-mosque issue

Some parties have been trying to gain political advantage from the Ayodhya issue ahead of the general election, CPI leader D Raja said Thursday, urging people not to fall "in to the trap".

The Supreme Court Thursday declined to refer to a five-judge Constitution bench the issue of reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam which had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute.

In a majority verdict of 2:1, an apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the civil suit has to be decided on the basis of evidence, adding that the previous verdict has no relevance on this issue.

Reacting to the development, National Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Raja said some political parties have been trying to gain political advantage from the Ayodhya issue ahead of the polls.

"People should not fall into the trap laid by some forces over the Ayodhya-linked verdict. Meanwhile, people should remain calm and maintain communal harmony. They should not be carried away by any provocation," he said.

The apex court has also said that the civil suit on the Ayodhya land dispute will be heard by a newly constituted three-judge bench on October 29 as Justice Misra will retire on October 2 as the CJI.