Ayodhya verdict: Karnataka BJP hails SC verdict

Terming the unanimous verdict of the Supreme Court on the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title case historic, Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed it and appealed to all sections of the people to maintain peace and harmony.

"We welcome the unanimous verdict on the title of the 2.77-acre disputed land in favour of the Hindus by upholding the petition of the Ram Lalla (child Ram) Virajman, the presiding deity of the Hindu God, and dismissing the claims of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara," party's state unit spokesman G. Madhusudana told IANS here.

Earlier, a 5-member constitutional bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi delivered the judgement in New Delhi, directing the Centre to hand over the disputed land to the Hindus for building a Ram temple.

"The judgement has rendered justice (dharma) to the disputed land, which has been sacred for the Hindus over the centuries and in conformity to their belief that Lord Ram was born there at Ayodhya," party's senior leader A. Vamanacharya told IANS.

Clarifying that the outcome was not a cause for celebration, Madhusudana said one of the judges -- Justice Abdul Nazeer was from the southern state. Nazeer was a judge of the Karnataka High Court for two decades before his elevation to the apex court in 2017.

"The unanimity among the judges in the ruling proves their impartiality and objectivity in dealing with a sensitive case, whose origins date back to the 16th century and has a bitter legacy as a baggage of the past," said Madhusudana.

The other three judges on the bench are Chief Justice-designate S. A. Bobde, Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice Ashok Bhushan.

Noting that the verdict has undone the 2010 ruling of the Allahabad High Court, which trifurcated the contentious land among the three main claimants, the spokesman said the top court's direction to the Centre for allotting a 5-acre land to the Wakf Board would enable it to build a grand mosque in the historic town.

"The ruling will enable the people across the country to live in peace and harmony, as it allows the building of a mosque on a separate land for prayers (Namaz) by the Muslims and construction of a grand Ram temple at the site, believed to be the spot where the Hindu God was born," pointed out Madhusudan.

Appealing to the party's leaders and cadres across the state to maintain peace and not to burst firecrackers or distribute sweets on the occasion, Vamanacharya said as a well-wisher of all communities, including the minorities, the BJP would strive for harmonious co-existence of all sections of the society.

"We hope and pray that the judgement will put an end to the decades-old litigations and forget the unfortunate events of the past, including the demolition of the structure on December 6, 1992 and the violence that took place in its aftermath in some parts of the country subsequently," reiterated Vamanacharya.

Earlier in the day, state Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony over the verdict.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened across the state and schools and colleges were given a holiday for the safety and security of the students and their faculty.

"About 15,000 policemen and women have been deployed in Bengaluru to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao told reporters here on Friday night.IANS