NEW DELHI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- India's Supreme Court said Tuesday that the issue of proposed Hindu God's Ram temple on the site of a mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya is a "sensitive" and "sentimental issue" and should be sorted by both Hindus and Muslims outside the court through talks.
"It is an issue of sentiment and religion. First sit together and sort out. Both sides (Hindus and Muslims) employ moderators and hold meetings. We can come into the picture if you can't solve the issue," a two-judge bench, headed by India's Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, ruled.
The apex court's order came in the wake of an urgent appeal by senior leader of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, who had urged the court to take up an appeal to build the Ram temple, which has been pending before it for six years.
The proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya has been one of the most contentious issues between the Hindus and Muslims over the last 25 years. The BJP has said it is committed to exploring all constitutional options to ensure that the temple is built in Ayodhya.
Currently, there is a makeshift temple on the religious site where the Mughal-era Babri mosque of the Muslims was destroyed in 1992 by Hindu fundamentalists in Ayodhya, and has been a flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims for years.
The site was popularly believed to be the birthplace of Ram. Various Hindu religious sects have been pushing for the building of a grand temple there.
