Sonia Gandhi appeals for peace following Ayodhya verdict

NEW DELHI - With just 24 hours left for the Ayodhya verdict by the Allahabad High Court, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony once the judgement is announced.

She said: “Placing faith in the fairness of the judiciary, consensus has been built to accept this verdict. I humbly appeal to you to maintain peace, harmony and brotherhood and to accept the verdict graciously. Unity is the strength of our society.”

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday gave its nod to the court’s Lucknow Bench to go ahead with its announcement of the judgment in the case, as it rejected an appeal that sought to defer the Allahabad Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya-Ramjanambhoomi title issue.

“Having considered in detail the arguments of the parties, we are of the view that the special leave petition (SLP) has to be dismissed. Accordingly, the SLP stands dismissed,” said the apex court’s three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia in a brief order.

The court’s order came after two hours of arguments on a plea for the deferment of the judgement by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court filed by a retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi seeking time for working out an out-of-court settlement.

The Lucknow Bench is scheduled to announce its verdict on the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid title case on Thursday at 3.30 p.m. (ANI)