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Don’t want settlement, frozen out of Ayodhya talks, 5 lawyers for Muslim parties tell SC

The statement to the SC came after a counsel for Sunni Waqf Board said it was ready to give up claim to the Ayodhya site.

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New Delhi: Five lawyers of the Muslim parties in the Ayodhya case have informed the Supreme Court that they are against any settlement in the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi title suit and want the court to decide on the land’s owndership.

The lawyers expressed their opinion in a statement submitted to the Supreme Court after a counsel for one of the parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, said they were ready to give up their claim to the contested site.

According to the lawyers, all the Muslim and Hindu parties were not involved in the mediation process, which renders it infructuous in law. 

Ejaz Maqbool, the advocate on record for Mohammad Siddique and Misbahuddin in the title dispute, has said in the statement that he was “taken aback” by reports that the Sunni Waqf Board had withdrawn from the suit. 

He also questioned how details of the mediation report, submitted in sealed cover to the court on the last day of hearings this week, were leaked to the press. 

“Leak to the press may have been inspired by either the mediation committee directly or those who participated in the said mediation proceedings or participants,” the statement added. “It needs emphasis that such a leak was in total violation of the orders of the Supreme court.” 

The Muslim parties in the case are Mohammad Siddique, Misbahuddin, Mohammad Hashim (now being carried on by Iqbal Ansari), Farooq Ahmed, Maulana Mahfozurrahaman, the Shia Waqf Board, and the Sunni Waqf Board. All of them seek the right to pray at the disputed site where the Babri Masjid stood until its demolition by Hindu fundamentalists in 1992.


Also Read: There are 3 claims to Ayodhya — law, memory & faith. It’s not a simple Hindu-Muslim dispute


‘Win-win’

Earlier this week, ThePrint had accessed the draft affidavit prepared by the Sunni Waqf Board to give up claim to the land, a stance that seems to have put the board at odds with the legal team representing it in the Supreme Court.

In it, the board has demanded that, in return, the Places of Worship Act 1991 — that seeks to maintain the status they held at Independence — should be made “stringent”.

The board has also asked the government to take over the maintenance of around 22 mosques in Ayodhya, many of which were damaged in the riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

A request was also made to the Supreme Court to form a committee to check the status of other religious places under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India.

On Thursday, a lawyer for the Sunni Waqf Board, Shahid Rizvi, said the settlement plan advocated by the Supreme Court-appointed mediation committee was a “win-win” for both Hindus and Muslims.

The Shia Waqf Board had also earlier supported that the land must be granted to the Hindus, who believe the disputed site is the birthplace of deity Ram.

The Sunni Waqf Board’s alleged withdrawal from the case — after intensely arguing the matter for over 20 days, saying the mosque was not built by demolishing a temple — made headlines and raised eyebrows as it came in the wake of three FIRs filed against its chair Zafar Faruqui.

The Yogi Adityanath administration of Uttar Pradesh government has also recommended a CBI inquiry against Faruqui for his alleged involvement the illegal sale and purchase of land for the board.

“The timing of the leak to the press and its confirmation by Mr Rizvi… on the very date when the hearing closed, seems to have been well thought out,” the Muslim parties’ statement reads. 

“Mr Sriram Panchu (one of the mediators) was also in the premises of the Supreme Court on 16th of October and was communicating in the premises to Mr Zafar Faruqui,” it adds.

Maqbool said in the statement that it was not possible to accept such a settlement as the Hindu parties had openly stated they were against mediation and even Muslim parties had ruled it out.

The lawyer blamed Nirmohi Akhara, one of the Hindu parties, or members of the mediation committee for the leak. 

A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court wrapped up marathon hearings in the Ayodhya case Wednesday, after 40 days of intense arguments. It then reserved judgment. 


Also Read: No matter what SC decides on Ayodhya, the assertive Hindu is here to stay


 

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1 COMMENT

  1. This demolition which was a result of Advani’s whipping up communal hate via his Rath Yatra was a grave injustice to India’s 175 million Muslims. RSS Parachark Narendra Modi organised the Rath Yatra.
    The riots that followed killed hundreds.
    The Ram Mandir is a emotive subject for Hindus, but first they must see justice is done for the sake of the future integrity and unity of India.
    History has been distorted, there were no religious historical schism between Hindus and Muslims, we were all people referred to by foreigners as Hindus people living in Hindustan.
    The Muslims are an integral part of India just as the Aryans. We were all invaders, the Muslims gave us culture and sometimes the tyranny of Aurangzeb. The Aryans brought the evil caste system to India but give us a rich Pantheon of Gods Myths and folklore.
    We are all supposed to be modern Indians now, living in a democracy. The year is 2019.
    The bigotry, superstition, obscurantism and ignorance some of some our politicians have fooled our population.
    We are in a quagmire of wickedness
    Our only way to survive is our unity in diversity,
    these scoundrels will take us towards disaster, it’s time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

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