Resolve Ram temple issue earliest: Head priest Das

Hours after the Supreme Court declined to refer the 1994 Ismail Faruqui verdict to a larger constitutional bench, head priest of the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya, Acharya Satyendra Das, expressed dissatisfaction over Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's failure to intervene in the issue for the last four years.

"There is no hope from the central government. For the last four years, no discussion took place over the issue. When the court had said that you will have to mutually resolve the issue, the government did nothing. They just did politics over the matter. The issue should be solved as soon as possible," Das said.

Describing the apex court's decision as historic, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) former Member of Parliament Vinay Katiyar expressed hope that the Ram temple would be built before next year. Speaking to ANI, he said, "The Supreme Court verdict is historic. I am hopeful that Ram temple will be built before 2019. The fight is over 80/40 square feet of land. We will be victorious in the title suit."

Announcing its verdict today, the Supreme Court held that all religions and religious places need to be equally respected. "Ashoka's edicts preach tolerance to the faith of others," said Justice Ashok Bhushan as he read out the verdict.

The three-judge bench, heard by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, pronounced the decision on the limited aspect of whether the law laid down by the Supreme Court in its 1994 judgment in Ismail Faruqui case should be revisited by a Constitution Bench.

The top court will now begin hearing on the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid case from October 29 to decide the suit on merit.