AYODHYA: The Allahabad High Court has announced its verdict on the Ayodhya Babri Mosque case.
However, this verdict reflects thedecision of two out of the three judges, while the third's verdict remains to be seen.
According to the verdict the land will be divided into three parts, one will go to the Ram Lalla, one to the Sunni Waqf Board and one to the Nirmohi Akhara.
It has also been decided that the decision to dividethe landwill be made in three months. Till then, the status quo will be maintained.
"It will be divided three ways and the decision (to divide it) will be made in three months," lawyer Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside the court.
The three-member bench which announced the decision comprised of Justice S U Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice D V Sharmathe.
Zafaryab Jilani, the lawyer for the Muslims, said he was disappointed by the judgement of the court and that an appeal will be filed in the Supreme Court soon.
Appeal for calm
The Indian government has appealed to the people to stay calm and accept the ruling of the law.
Earlier, more than 200,000 police officials were deployed across India and temporary jails were set up as the government prepared for possible Hindu-Muslim riots.
From the capital New Delhi to the financial hub Mumbai, many Indians stayed home ahead of the decision and stocked up on food in apprehension of the verdict.
However, commentators said the verdict is unlikely to spark widespread riots that hit Mumbai and other cities in 1992.
Political parties had also called for calm and there is little electoral headway to be made in egging on religious riots in post-economic reform India.
Armed police set up checkpoints across Ayodhya, which had a deserted feel, guarded Muslim homes, a roughly 3,000 people minority in the town of 70,000 inhabitants.
Wary of these two sides being provoked into fighting, the government had banned bulk mobile text messaging nationally to prevent the spread of rumours and religious extremism.
