NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court is due to rule on Saturday on the ownership of a centuries-old religious site claimed by both majority Hindus and Muslims, a dispute that has cast a shadow of suspicion over the two communities for decades.

Thousands of paramilitary force members and police have been deployed in the northern town of Ayodhya, where an ancient mosque was razed in 1992 by hardline Hindus who believe the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram, a physical incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

The destruction of the mosque triggered religious riots in which about 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed across the country and led to a series of court battles with various groups staking claim to the site.

A final verdict will be delivered by a five-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the court said late on Friday.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - parent organisation of Modi's party - has decided against celebratory processions if the verdict goes in favour of the Hindus, to avoid provoking sectarian violence.

Muslim organisations have appealed for calm to prevent communal flare-ups.