Ayodhya verdict doesn't condone demolition: Sonia Gandhi - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the Allahabad High Court judgment in the Ayodhya Ram Janambhoomi-Babri-Masjid title case in no way condoned the demolition of the mosque 18 years ago. Addressing a meeting of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), which is being held after 13 years, Gandhi said: "It (the demolition of the mosque) was a shameful, criminal act and all those responsible must be brought to justice." "We all remember how tense the country was in the days prior to the judgement. It is a tribute to our country that the people ensured peace and harmony prevailed," she added. "The broader message for us all is that our fight against communalism of all kinds, against fanaticism of all types has to continue unabated. This is a political struggle for a secular India ," she said. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had on September 30 ruled by a two to one majority that the disputed 2.7 acre of land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts. The division was as follows: (1) Ram Lalla, the birthplace of Lord Ram, given to Lord Ram (2) Sita Rasoi and Ram Chabootra to Nirmohi Akhara and (3) The remaining part to be given to the Sunni Waqf Board. Meanwhile, the status quo in Ayodhya will continue for a period of three months during which petitions can be filed. The dispute relates to a political, historical and socio-religious debate, centered on a plot of land in Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh. The main issues revolve around access to a site traditionally regarded as the birth place of Lord Rama; the history and location of the Babri Mosque at the site; and whether a previous Hindu temple was demolished or modified to create the mosque. The Babri M9osque was demolished by hardine Hindu activists on December 6, 1992 and was followed by the filing of a land title case in the Allahabad High court; the verdict of which was pronounced on September 30. 2010.