Says it will soon file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the Allahabad high court judgment.
Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Wakf Board, the main Muslim plaintiff in the Ayodhya case, has delivered a major blow to the ongoing efforts for an amicable settlement of the dispute through talks. At an emergency meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday, the board trashed the process of mediation and declared that it would soon file a special leave petition against the Allahabad high court verdict.
“We are making it clear at this juncture that no one is authorised to conduct any talks aimed at a negotiated settlement [of the Ayodhya dispute]… we have decided to appeal in the apex court,” board president Zufar Ahmed Farooqui told reporters.
He said the board was convinced that the reconciliation process initiated by Hashim Ansari, the oldest plaintiff in the case, and Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Gyandas in Ayodhya was “not serious enough” and “lacked formal authority”.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has also virtually made it clear that it was not interested in initiating any dialogue with the Hindu contestants at this stage.
“Hindu Mahasabha and the Nirmohi Akhara have clearly said that a mosque in the same compound is not acceptable and they would approach the apex court against one-third of the disputed site being allotted to Muslims by the high court. As such, there is no option for us but to appeal in the Supreme Court,” its counsel Zafaryab Jilani said. He said any talk of mediation at this stage might be “unacceptable” to Muslims at large.
Jilani also lashed out at Congress, alleging that the party was trying to “deprive Muslims of their rightful piece of land in Ayodhya”. He said people such as Congress MP Rashid Alvi were suggesting that the mosque be built at some distance from the disputed site. “Such proposals insinuating that Muslims give up their claim are totally unacceptable,” he asserted.
Hashim Ansari and Mahant Gyandas, however, refused to be deterred. In fact, Ansari was in a fiery mood as he said: “Who is Jilani to stop the process of mediation? He should apologise to me, failing which I will withdraw from the case.”
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