Verdict given on basis of evidence, says former ASI director

KK Muhammed, former regional director, North, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict in Ayodhya land title dispute case and called it a 'perfect judgment.'

"The court has given verdict on the basis of evidence provided by the ASI. This is the most perfect judgment I could ever think of. I never thought it would be this perfect. I feel vindicated (he had said Ram temple existed before Babri mosque in Ayodhya), I was hounded by a group of people. It is exactly the kind of decision that we all wanted," he said while speaking to ANI in Kozhikode.

"For Hindus, this place is as important as Mecca and Madina is for Muslims. For Muslims, this place is not associated with the Prophet," Muhammed added.

"On the basis of archaeological and historical evidence that were supplied by ASI, the court came to the conclusion that there was a temple earlier and we should build a new temple once more," he further stated.

The Supreme Court on Saturday directed the Centre to give five acres of suitable land to Sunni Waqf Board and at the same time make necessary arrangements for the construction of the temple by forming a trust.

"Central government shall form in three to four months a scheme for setting up of a trust. They shall make necessary arrangements for the management of trust and construction of the temple," Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said while reading out the verdict.

He said that the possession of the inner and outer courtyard shall be handed over to the trust. "Suitable plot of land measuring five-acre shall be handed over to Sunni Waqf Board," said the apex court.