Construction of mosque should be delayed if Ayodhya verdict comes in our favour: Muslim litigants

Ayodhya, October 19

Some Muslim litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute have said that should the Supreme Court’s verdict come in their favour construction of the mosque on the disputed land in Ayodhya should be delayed to maintain harmony.

A litigant, Haji Mahboob, said the first priority is to maintain harmony.

“If the verdict is in favour of Muslims, then in the greater interest of peace and communal harmony, we should not build a mosque on the land, we should construct a boundary around it and leave it,” he said. 

“This is my personal opinion, what I think should be kept in view is the present situation of the country. I will also discuss this proposal with other litigants,” he said. Another litigant, Mufti Hasbullah Baadshah Khan, who is the local president of the Jamiat Ulema Hind, also agreed with Mahboob.

“It is correct that we must take care of communal harmony first. We will discuss the situation with senior Muslim religious leaders. In the current scenario we should postpone the mosque’s construction, if the verdict comes in our favour,” he said.

Mohammad Umar, who is also a litigant in the case, said he agreed with postponing the construction. “We must take care of peace and communal harmony in the society,” he added.

Iqbal Ansari, one of the main Muslim litigants did not comment on the remarks, but said that they will not allow any breach in the communal fabric of the society. “Let the verdict be pronounced,” he said.

The apex court on Wednesday wrapped up the 40-day hearing in the decades-old temple-mosque dispute in Ayodhya—the second longest proceedings in its history—and reserved its verdict in the politically sensitive case that is expected in a month’s time.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties—the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid, constructed at the disputed site in the 16th century by Shia Muslim Mir Baqi, was demolished. PTI