Deferring of Ayodhya title suits verdict opposed

With Allahabad high court poised to make another attempt to settle the Ayodhya title suits through a compromise tomorrow, two parties to the 60-year-old case today moved the court opposing deferring of the verdict expected to be pronounced next week.

Sunni Central Board of Waqfs and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, through their lawyers Zafaryab Jilani and HS Jain respectively, today filed objections before the officer on special duty (OSD) of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court against any deferment of the verdict likely to be pronounced by the special bench on September 24.

Citing apprehension of breach of peace and the upcoming Commonwealth Games, two separate applications seeking directions for deferring the verdict were moved before the Allahabad high court on September 13.

Both the objections filed today would be placed before the court along with the application seeking deferment tomorrow, Sunni Board and Mahasabha sources said.

Jain in his objection has stated that an attempt had been made by the court on July 27 for reaching an amicable settlement but no one had appeared on behalf of Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, a defendant in suit no. 4, whose counsel had later sought deferment and efforts towards a reconciliation.

"It appears that the present application (for deferment) has been filed at the behest of some disgruntled persons who do not believe in the majesty of law for their personal gains and are trying to create every hindrance in the delivery of judgement as scheduled," Jain said in the plea, claiming that it was a "proxy" application.

The board, which is a plaintiff in suit no 4., has contended that "there was no chance of solution of the dispute in question by mediation\conciliation \arbitration and therefore there was no justification of deferring the verdict which should be pronounced on the scheduled date".

It stated that the application moved by Tripathi "be dismissed with heavy costs and the pronouncement of the judgment in the suit may not be deferred".

Taking cognisance of the application of Ramesh Chandra Tripathi on September 13, one of the three judges related to the case, justice DV Sharma, had directed all the lawyers representing the parties concerned to appear before the bench to resolve the dispute amicably through reconciliation on September 17.

Justice DV Sharma had also observed in his order: "Thus before delivery of judgement by this court, to my mind, every endeavour has to be made to settle the dispute as per the prayer made by the applicant, Tripathi, and with hope that if the matter is settled through compromise then it shall be in the interest of everyone".