India's credo of unity in diversity was visible in its totality after the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute as all sections of the society accepted it with an open heart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, urging people to shun bitterness and negativity for the sake of a new India.
Addressing the nation hours after the top court gave its judgment, Modi said the way each section of the society welcomed the verdict reflects India's ancient traditions of amity and harmony.
He also expressed happiness that the five-judge bench of the top court was unanimous in its order.
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He said peace, unity and amity are essential for development of India and described November 9 as a day to forget any bitterness one may have. Modi also said there is no place for fear, bitterness and negativity in new India.
The 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya will be given to a trust for construction of a Ram temple and Muslims will get a five-acre plot of land elsewhere for a mosque, the Supreme Court ruled on Saturday in a historic verdict in a case that has riveted India for decades.
Delivering a “unanimous verdict”, a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said rights of the disputed plot will be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who is one of the three litigants in the case. The possession of the land, however, will remain with the central government which will set up a trust within three months to oversee construction of the temple.
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The top court said the Sunni Waqf Board should be given “alternate land” where they can build a mosque. Other members of the bench are Justices S.A. Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer.
(With inputs from PTI)
