Anupam Gupta addresses the meet at AN Sinha institute in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, Feb. 13: Former Liberhan Commission counsel Anupam Gupta wants more discussions over the Ayodhya verdict which allowed the construction of a Ram temple on one-third of the disputed site.

Gupta, speaking at a seminar “Future of India and Ayodhya verdict”, said there was a political acceptance of the Ayodhya verdict by most parties. “There was no opposition from Muslims too, which is a good sign, but there should have been more discussions over the verdict,” the former counsel said.

Talking about the verdict, Gupta, who has been in news for controversial statements, said: “The judgment delivered by the three-member Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court, comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal, Justice Dharam Veer Sharma and Justice S.U. Khan, has provided judicial justification to the movement of Sangh Parivar.”

“Justice Sharma had observed that the disputed site was indeed the birthplace of Lord Ram. The same claim was made being by the Sangh Parivar for years,” he added.

The former counsel said that Muslims have full right over the disputed site at Ayodhya. “The land of where the central dome of Babri Mosque existed should be given to Muslims,” he said.

Gupta had earlier kicked off a row in 2009 when he stated that “the name of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was being dragged in the Babri Masjid demolition case in an attempt to shift the focus from the role played by L.K. Advani”.

Gupta who was a member of the Liberhan commission from 1999 to 2007 said Ayodhya dispute revolves around faith and mythology and the verdict has given “more importance to faith than facts”.

Earlier, on September 30 last year, the Allahabad High Court took the step towards the resolution of the 60-year-old Babri Masjid Ram Janmabhoomi ownership dispute by including all the applicant parties.

The high court by delivering the verdict provided judicial approval to the Hindu belief that Lord Ram was indeed born there.