Indian newspapers welcomed Friday a landmark court ruling dividing a hotly disputed religious site, saying it pointed to a new, more confident India where law prevailed over communal emotion.
The high court judgement on Thursday split the site in the northern pilgrimage town of Ayodhya site between Hindu and Muslim claimants, easing immediate fears of a violent backlash.
The Hindustan Times argued that the "sagacious" verdict was one "that left no losers" and argued that the decision of the main Muslim claimant to appeal the judgement was proof that the issue was now firmly contained within the framework of the law.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"A bull has been caught by its horns and credit should be given where its due: the law overwhelming what had always seemed... a matter of extra-judicial misadventures and posturings," the newspaper said.
Security tight
Security had been tightened in Ayodhya and across India generally to prevent a repeat of violence in 1992 when Hindu zealots tore down a 16th century mosque at the Ayodhya site.
Around 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, died in the riots that followed.
"In the end, what is of prime importance and deserving both relief and applause is that this verdict, in no mean way, has been a touchstone moment for Indian secularism and a definitive step away from the pit of religious fundamentalism," the Hindustan Times said.
An editorial in the Times of India also identified the ruling and the apparent lack of any violent backlash as a watershed moment for a country with huge ambitions as an emerging global power.
"A new, resurgent India has emerged from the debris of the violent 1990s. A new generation has come of age since then and it doesn't want to be tied down by ancient hatreds," the Times said.
"We need to move on and the onus is on the state, political parties and community elders to ensure that the issue is not kept simmering for too long," it added.
'Compromise'
The Hindu was slightly more critical of the judgement, saying it could be seen as a compromise calculated to hold the religious peace rather than an exercise of "profound" legal reflection.
"Nevertheless, the compromise nature of the verdict along with the substantive outcome of dividing the disputed land have restrained any party from claiming outright victory or sulking in total defeat," it said.
"On balance, the verdict should help the nation as a whole put a longstanding dispute behind. Secular India needs to move on and not be held hostage to grievances, real or imaginary, from the distant past," it added.
The Indian Express, however, argued that the past should not simply be wiped clean.
While praising the work of the court and welcoming the measured response to its judgement, the newspaper said it was crucial that the law continues to pursue the related cases of those responsible for the 1992 mosque demolition.
"Faith in the law requires stringent action against those who take the law into their own hands," the Express said.
