Honouring SC decision on Ayodhya, we should maintain mutual harmony: Rahul

Everyone should respect the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute and maintain harmony, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday while noting that this is the time to promote brotherhood, trust and love for all in the country.

The Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

"The Supreme Court has pronounced its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. While honouring this decision of the court, we all should maintain mutual harmony. This is a time for brotherhood, trust and love among us all Indians," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

In one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India's history, a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi 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", allotted either by the Centre or the Uttar Pradesh government, 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, built by Mughal empire's founder Babur, which was destroyed by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.