SC final verdict on Ayodhya: Amit Shah, Rajnath, welcome order giving disputed land to Ram Janmabhoomi Trust; Congress says it is in favour of Ram temple

A five-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site of Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

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

The apex court said the mosque should be constructed at a "prominent site" and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

The site was occupied by the 16th Century Babri mosque which was destroyed by Hindu kar sevaks on 6 December, 1992.

The bench, also comprising Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, said possession of the disputed 2.77-acre land rights will be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who is one of the three litigants in the case. The possession, however, will remain with a central government receiver.

Multiple politicians, parties and other prominent leaders took to microblogging site Twitter to react to apex court's historical judgment.

Home minister Amit Shah welcomed the judgment. "I welcome the Supreme Court's decision on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi unanimously. I appeal to people of all communities and religions to accept this decision with ease and remain committed to our resolve of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat', full of peace and harmony," says Amit Shah.

"I am confident that this landmark judgment given by the Supreme Court will prove to be a milestone in itself. This decision will give further strength to the unity, integrity and great culture of India. This legal dispute of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, which has been going on for decades, has finalised with this decision today. I congratulate the justice system of India and all the justices." he added

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is in Punjab to inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor, said that the Supreme Court verdict should not be seen as anybody's win or loss and hailed the apex court, saying, "It shows how important is to follow the legal process in resolving a dispute." He further appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu hailed the judgment and said, "India is the winner from this judgement"

BJP veteran LK Advani, speaking to ANI, said "It is a moment of fulfillment for me because God almighty had given me an opportunity to make my own humble contribution to the mass movement, the biggest since India’s Freedom Movement, aimed at the outcome which SC's verdict today has made possible."

Asserting that the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya issue highlighted "truth and justice", RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said it should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat. Welcoming the unanimous decision of the five-judge apex court bench, Bhagwat said everybody should now forget the dispute, which had continued for many decades, and work together to build a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. "We wanted the issue to end, this has happened. All sides (of the case) were evaluated and truth and justice have been highlighted," he told reporters.

The Congress party took to Twitter to respond to the verdict, in a series of tweets saying it respected the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. "We appeal to all the parties concerned and to all communities to abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in our Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony.

In a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee chaired by interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, the Congress also appealed to all parties concerned and all communities to "abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in the Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony".

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, taking to Twitter, urged the public to honour the Supreme Court's decision and maintain mutual harmony:

"It is the responsibility of each one of us to reaffirm our tradition of mutual respect and unity among all that has defined our society through the ages," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala quoted the resolution as saying. Asked if the Congress was supportive of Ram temple construction, he answered in the affirmative. The Congress is in favour of Ram temple construction, he said. Responding to another question, Surjewala said the Supreme Court decision in the Ayodhya case cannot be a matter of credit or discredit to any individual, group of people, communities or political parties. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the apex court's decision and stated that the Government of Uttar Pradesh "is fully committed to maintaining the atmosphere of peace, security and harmony in the state."

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, saying the judgment ended the centuries-old dispute and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Sitaram Yechury, leader of Communist Party of India, questioned 'certain premises of the judement' and said, "cases pertaining to the demolition should be expedited and the guilty punished".

Former RSS ideologue KN Govindacharya, a key figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, on Saturday, credited late VHP stalwart Ashok Singhal and veteran BJP leader LK Advani for the success of the cause. Reacting to the Supreme Court clearing the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Govindacharya, one of the major strategists behind the Advani's rath yatra in 1990 in support of building a temple, expressed his "extreme happiness" at the verdict.

Asaduddin Owaisi hit out at the judgement saying, "If the Babri Masjid wasn’t demolished that day, what would the judgement have been today? There has been discrimination against Muslims and no one can deny it. We are fighting for our legal rights," Rejecting the SC's decision to allot an alternate land to the Muslim parties, he further said, "The entire nation is marching on the way of being a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. I am only scared that there are many Masjids- where the Sangh Parivar will claim rights on the basis of this decision."

Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, made his feelings clear on Twitter:

    Hailing the Supreme Court ruling on the Ayodhya title dispute case as 'historic', Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "I believe this is a landmark judgment. Everyone should accept and respect it. I would appeal to people to maintain peace and order." The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan also took to Twitter to react to the verdict.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa urged people of the state to "wholeheartedly welcome" the Supreme court verdict in the sensitive Ayodhya land dispute case, and not to react "emotionally". He said the judgment is neither a victory nor a defeat for anyone.

The spiritual head of Ajmer dargah on Saturday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court on Ayodhya case and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony. “The judiciary is supreme and everyone should respect the decision. It is the time to present a united face before the world because the entire world is looking at India today,” Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan said.

“We respect and accept the verdict. I appeal to the people of the country to maintain harmony and peace. This is the victory of the judiciary and the message should be loud and clear that how much the judiciary is important for us and people of the country are peace-loving, he told PTI. He said that respecting and honouring the laws of the land is the basic Islamic teaching. “We now need to concentrate on the development of self and the nation, he said.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Saturday described the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute as a "decisive step" towards the construction of a "grand" Ram temple and urged the central government to take speedy steps on the directions issued by the top court. Addressing a press conference here, VHP working president Alok Kumar said the SC order is a "decisive step towards construction of grand Ram temple in Ayodhya".

Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray just tweeted the words, 'Jai Shree Ram'

Hindutva leader Pravin Togadia welcomed the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit as a "tribute" to "lakhs of Hindus" who had sacrificed their lives for a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

BJP leader Uma Bharti hailed party veteran LK Advani's role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement as she welcomed the court's order. She said she met Advani to bow her head at his feet following the verdict and also praised late Vishwa Hindu Parishad stalwart Ashok Singhal for spearheading the movement. The former Union minister, who was a key figure herself in the saffron agitation, said Advani's devotion to temple cause is at the root of the BJP's success and it is coming back to power for another term. Advani, she said, changed the communal motives ascribed to the issue of nationalism and showed that it can change the country, she told reporters.

Other prominent personalities like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Chetan Bhagat, Baba Ramdev and other politicians also reacted to the verdict on the microblogging site.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra saluted the Supreme Court bench on Twitter: