Judgment of Solomon on Muslim-Hindu site

A Court ruled yesterday that the site of a demolished mosque in India would be divided between Hindus and Muslims in a ruling that it is hoped will appease both groups in one of the country's most divisive court cases.

The court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh also ruled that Hindu idols could stay on the disputed land.

The demolition of the 16th century mosque by Hindu mobs in 1992 triggered some of India's worst riots, in which about 2000 people were killed. More than 200000 police fanned out in India yesterday to guard against sectarian violence.

If the ruling soothes tensions, it would be a boost for the ruling Congress Party, a left-of-centre group with secular roots. Major political parties have called for calm.

The verdict was announced only days before Sunday's opening of the Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi, for which the government wants to project an image of stability and modernity to the world.

Times Now TV editor Arnab Goswami called it "nobody's verdict, nobody's solution," referring to the fact that there was no clear winner

"I appeal to everyone, including Muslims, to forget the past and come forward to take part in our national culture," said Mohan Bhagwat, head of the hardline Hindu group RSS, which is closely linked to the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

The 2-1 majority verdict gave two thirds of the land to Hindus - a third each to two Hindu groups - and one third to Muslims.

"The majority of the bench has ruled that the place where Lord Rama [a Hindu god] is enthroned is the birthplace of Rama," Ravi Shankar Prasad, lawyer for a Hindu petitioner of the court, said.

Hindus wants to build a temple on the site. Muslims want the mosque rebuilt. It was demolished in 1992.

Some Muslims welcomed the judgment.

"The judgment can begin a process of reconciliation," Kamal Farooqi, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said.

Lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court and a final decision could take years.

Commentators say the verdict is unlikely to spark widespread riots such as those that hit Mumbai and other cities in 1992.

But, from the capital, New Delhi, to the financial hub of Mumbai and towns in the northern Hindu "cow belt" along the holy Ganges River, many Indians waited with apprehension for the verdict, some staying at home and stocking up with food.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the verdict one of the country's biggest security challenges. - Reuters