New Delhi: Hours after the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board counsel claimed that it will seek a review of the Ayodhya verdict in light of its “contradictions”, the chief of the Islamic statutory body Saturday clarified that it has no such move in mind.
“We welcome the Supreme Court verdict in the case. The board has no plans to challenge it,” Waqf Board chairman Zafar Ahmad Farooqui said. “The verdict is being studied thoroughly as of now, after which the board will issue a detailed statement.”
The Waqf Board was one of the main litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
Earlier Saturday, a five-member constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya should be given to a government-run trust for constructing a temple. Acknowledging that the Babri mosque was illegally demolished by right-wing activists in 1992, it also directed the government to allot five acres of “suitable” land elsewhere for the construction of a new religious structure.
The court cited archaeological evidence of a structure pre-dating the Babri mosque on the site to allow the construction of a temple there.
Waqf Board counsel Zafaryab Jilani reacted to the verdict by calling it unjust. “Giving all land to the other side is unjustified. We respect the top court, but we have the right to disagree with the verdict. The top court has changed its judgments in many cases. We have a right to seek review,” he said, adding that the verdict held several “contradictions”.
Zafar Ahmad Farooqui, however, downplayed his claim. “If any lawyer or any other person said that the decision will be challenged by the board, it should not be taken as correct,” he said. Later, Mr Jilani clarified that he had reacted as the secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and not as the Waqf Board counsel.
Last month, the Waqf Board had even proposed withdrawing its claim on the disputed land as long as some of its conditions are fulfilled.
