CJI Ranjan Gogoi to take out the Ayodhya bench for dinner on Saturday

New Delhi: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has planned a dinner with the four judges on the Ayodhya bench - Chief Justice-designate SA Bobde, Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice SA Nazeer - at Taj Mansingh in the capital on Saturday.

It is learnt that the Chief Justice wanted to be out along with the four judges giving them a break from the hectic schedule in the run-up to the judgement pronounced today morning. The five-judge bench began hearing on the Ayodhya title dispute on August 6. After 40 days of daily hearing on the matter, the court had reserved the verdict on October 17.

The bench ruled that the possession of the inner and outer courtyards will be handed over to a board of trustees of a trust to construct a temple.

The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had equally partitioned the 2.77 acre disputed land among three parties - Ram Lalla Virajman, Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Waqf Board. The Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict overruled that judgement on Saturday and handed over the disputed site to Ram Lalla.

The Chief Justice on Friday met the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to take stock of law and order situation in the state. Later, at 9p.m. the Supreme Court notified the pronouncement of the Ayodhya judgement on its



website.

The verdict runs into 1,045 pages. The five-judge bench has also directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre land to Muslims at a prominent place in Ayodhya to build a mosque.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat welcomes Ayodhya verdict, says it highlights 'truth and justice'

New Delhi: Asserting that the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya issue highlighted "truth and justice", RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said it should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat.

Welcoming the unanimous decision of the five-judge apex court bench, Bhagwat said everybody should now forget the dispute, which had continued for many decades, and work together to build a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

"We wanted the issue to end, this has happened. All sides (of the case) were evaluated and truth and justice have been highlighted," he told reporters.

Asked if the Hindutva organisation will now take up Mathura and Varanasi issues, he said the job of the RSS is character-building and not launching agitations.

Several right wing organisations have often called for an Ayodhya-like agitation in Mathura and Varanasi, two other holy Hindu towns where they object to the existence of mosques along with temples.