Ayodhya verdict should not be seen as win or loss: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief said that the Supreme Court`s historic judgement in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babari Masjid title dispute case should not be seen as someone`s victory or defeat.

NEW DELHI: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said that the Supreme Court's historic judgement in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babari Masjid title dispute case should not be seen as someone's victory or defeat.

"We welcome the judgment. This is the final culmination after decades of a legal battle. All parties' argument was heard. We thank all stakeholders. All those who helped and those sacrificed their lives we thank them. We welcome and thank the government for maintaining peace. We should not see it as victory or defeat," the RSS chief said while addressing a press conference.

Appealing to members of the two communities, Bhagwat further said that it is time to rebuild the country and forget the bitterness of the past.

The statement from the RSS chief came shortly after the 5-member bench of the Supreme Court's Constitution bench, in a unanimous decision, ruled that a Central government-run trust will oversee the construction of a temple at 2.77 acres disputed site in Ayodhya and directed five-acre plot to be allotted to Sunni Waqf Board for construction of a mosque.

While reading out the judgment, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that faith of Hindus that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya remains "undisputed".

"Hindus consider Ayodhya as the birthplace of Lord Ram. They have religious sentiments. Hindus have faith and belief that Lord Ram was born under the dome. The faith of Hindus that Lord Ram was born here is undisputed," Chief Justice Gogoi said while reading out the 1045-page long verdict.

"Historical accounts indicate belief of Hindus that Ayodhya was the birthplace of Lord Ram," Chief Justice Gogoi added.

A five-judge Constitution bench presided by Chief Justice Gogoi and comprising Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer passed the order on a batch of petitions against an order of the Allahabad High Court which trifurcated the site between the parties - Ramlalla Virajman, Sunni Central Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

A decades-long legal dispute was fought by Hindu Mahasabha, a sect of Hindu monks Nirmohi Akhara and Muslim Waqf Board over 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya.