Law of land should prevail, guilty punished: Cong on Ayodhya

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said the guilty in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case should be punished, following Supreme Court’s verdict restoring criminal charges against senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

"The Supreme Court has spoken. Let justice be done and the guilty punished,” Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.

The Congress also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that his ministers maintained a "high standard of morality". Uma Bharti is the Minister for Water Resources in the Modi Cabinet.

"The law is equal for everyone irrespective of stature, caste, creed, religion or region," he said.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also expressed satisfaction over the order and hoped that Modi would remember his "pronouncements" on morality.

"As far as other issues concerned, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always very committed to the cause of morality. Those are his public pronouncements. Occasionally, he forgets morality when it comes to his ministers. Let us hope he doesn't forget (it) this time," Sibal said.

He said it had taken 25 years for the cause of justice to take a substantial step forward. "At least now it has been demonstrated that the majesty of the law is intact and that justice will be granted."

He recalled an old film -- 'bees saal baad' -- and said today's development was like a new film-- '25 saal baad', which would finish in the next two years. Sibal was referring to the fact that the court had asked that the proceedings be completed in two years.

Earlier in the day, the apex court allowed a CBI plea restoring a criminal conspiracy charge against Advani, Joshi and Bharti in the 1992 demolition case.

The court clubbed the trials in the matter pending against the leaders and 'karsevaks' and ordered a day-to-day hearing.