Ayodhya case: ASI excavation report submitted at SC to be published as book

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report which was submitted in the Supreme Court after excavation at the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site will be published as a book, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after the apex court verdict clearing the way for the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Patel congratulated the ASI team which prepared the report.

"The ASI report which till now was the property of the court will soon be published in the form of a book for the public," he said.

"I am grateful to all the experts who worked on the report and also congratulate them for their efforts," he added.

The ASI excavated the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site at the direction of the Allahabad High Court in 2003.

The Supreme Court said the underlying structure below the disputed site in Ayodhya was not an Islamic structure, but the ASI has not established whether a temple was demolished to build a mosque.