The Supreme Court on Tuesday saved Mahatma Gandhi's [Images] Sabarmati Ashram from partial demolition by restraining the Gujarat government from laying a road across its compound.

A vench of Justices S B Sinha and H S Bedi, asked the Gujarat government to explore an alternative road alignment so that sentiments of thousands of Gandhians were not hurt.

The Gujarat government's proposal for laying an alignment road as part of a town development plan which required demolition of two Ashram structures -- "Rangshala" and "Bal Mandir."

The Sabarmati Ashram, constructed under the guidance of the Mahatma during the 1920s, if the place from where the Father of the Nation started several of his satyagraha campaigns.

The apex court passed the direction while dealing with the special leave petition filed by the Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust challenging a Gujarat high court order which upheld the state government's decision for laying the road.

The trust submitted that the Gujarat government was bent upon laying the road by demolishing the structure despite the fact that there were other alternative routes available to it.