Ayodhya verdict: ET View: Accept the Ayodhya judgement and move on

All parties to the Ayodhya dispute should accept the unanimous verdict of the Supreme Court on the subject and allow the country to move on. Let a grand temple be built at the site and a grand mosque, too, in the place allotted for its construction in Ayodhya.

The parties and organisation that had pressed for demolition of the Babri mosque should desist from raising any fresh demand to demolish mosques claimed to stand at the venue of temples. India needs to move beyond divisive politics of identity and focus on building the internal cohesion and economic strength needed to carve out and defend its own unique space in the world’s geography and history.

The Court has tried, it would appear from the initial information available, to base its verdict on principles that are in accordance with the secular fundamentals of the Constitution. Archaeological evidence has been relied upon to settle the property dispute and, simultaneously, respect the sentiments of a majority of Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the site of the Babri mosque.

The Court recognises demolition of the mosque in 1992 as a crime. This should preclude any notion that the verdict gives licence for fresh acts of vandalism against places of worship.

It is the duty of all concerned to not just maintain peace but also to work for sustainable unity and harmony among followers of different faiths.