Dharm Sansad of Swaroopanand Saraswati announces February 21 as date of keeping Ram Temple's 'Aadhar Shila'

The congregation of sadhus which was called by Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati has also decided to march towards Ayodhya to lay the foundation stone.

The central government on Tuesday had asked the Supreme Court to allow it to return the "non-disputed" surplus land acquired around the disputed structure in Ayodhya to a Hindu trust and other original owners, in a significant move ahead of the Lok Sabha polls./ AFP

NEW DELHI: From Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Dharam Sansad on Wednesday declared that construction of the Ram Mandir will begin on February 21. The congregation of sadhus which was called by Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati has also decided to march towards Ayodhya to lay the foundation stone. The central government on Tuesday had asked the Supreme Court to allow it to return the "non-disputed" surplus land acquired around the disputed structure in Ayodhya to a Hindu trust and other original owners, in a significant move ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The Supreme Court had recently constituted a new 5-judge bench to hear the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya on January 29. The five-judge bench was re-constituted on January 25, as Justice U U Lalit, who was a member of the original bench, had recused himself from hearing the matter. Later, the case was adjourned due to the non-availability of Justice SA Bobde, following which sitting of the Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi stands cancelled, as per a notice issued by the Supreme Court registry. With the RSS-led Hindutva organisations pushing for a law to build the temple at the disputed site,, Modi had said that his government would wait for the apex court's decision on the matter but the "delay" in the matter has been causing consternation among the 'sadhus' and the party's core Hindutva supporters.