New Delhi, September 27: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said, "Ram Mandir construction will start before Diwali in Ayodhya." His statement came after the Supreme Court declined to refer the matter on the 1994 Ismail Faruqui verdict to a larger bench. Swamy also added that the court should dismiss the plea as "entertaining them" would delay the final outcome. "The Muslim side knows they are losing the case. These are diversionary tactics," he said. Ayodhya Case: Supreme Court Declines to Refer Matter to Larger Bench, Says All Temples, Mosques, Churches Equally Relevant.

The Supreme Court in its verdict on Thursday said that all temples, churches and mosques are equally relevant. The verdict came after a set of pleas by Muslims group on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute were seeking reconsideration by a larger bench on the observations made in a 1994 verdict that mosque is not essential for practising Islam. Ayodhya Verdict by Supreme Court Live News Updates: SC Declines Plea to Refer Matter to Larger Bench in 2:1 Judgment.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UP government, had said this dispute has been awaiting final adjudication for “almost a century”.

The Ayodhya dispute was taken to court in 1992, when Hindu activists under the banner of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, dismantled the centuries-old Babri Masjid built on the land, claiming that its a birthplace of Lord Ram.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2018 02:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).