Our Correspondents
NEW DELHI: EVENS as full judgment of the Allahabad high court on Babri Masjid–Ram Janambhoomi dispute is yet be studied fully, the Muslim leadership and secular legal experts have put question mark on the verdict. While some legal expert say that high court has gone beyond its jurisdiction of giving judgment on the title suits, the Muslim groups are planning to move the supreme court. Talking to TIA , the president of all India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, Syed Shabuddin, who was once instrumental in Babri Masjid movement said that for Muslim whole structure was Babri Masjid and it could not be divided as court ruled. “Muslim leadership will approach supreme court against high court judgment”, he said. Shahabuddin, however appealed the community not to be agitated over the recent judgment. He said the door of supreme court will remain open.
“Certainly we do not agree with the ruling. We considered whole structure as Babri Masjid and it can not be divided in our faith” says Babri Masjid counsel Zafaryab Jilani, who is also member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Jilani, however said that Muslim leadership would take further decision after going through the whole verdict. He said that a meeting of AIMPLB would be convened soon to discuss the matter and future course of action.
The convener of the Babri Masjid committee of AIMPLB S Q R Ilyas said that the Muslims would certainly approach supreme court as the high court has not given the verdict according to their expectations. “we will go to supreme court after wider consultations and studying the whole judgment” he said.
The president of Itehadul Muslemin Asadudin Owaisi MP said that Muslims would no accept the division Babri Masjid. He said tat if Supreme Court gave whole premises to Hindu they could accept it but division of mosque is not acceptable at all. Reacting to BJP appeal that Muslim should come forward for construction of ram temple for resurgent India he said” “Indian can not be resurgent by constructing a temple in Ayodhya”.
Abdul Khaliq Madrasi of Dar-ul-Uloom, Deoband said: “We have always maintained that the decision should be respected. Our duty from Deoband is to maintain peace and amity. Those unhappy with aspects of the decision should appeal to the Supreme Court. That option is there.”
Voice for accepting verdict
However, there are several Muslims who think the verdict should be accepted as something positive beneath the ruling.
Noted journalist M J Akbar is of the view that Muslims should accept the verdict in all humility and they do need to go to supreme court. “Muslim should accept the one third of the disputed land allotted to them. There is a possibility that they might not get even an inch of land by the supreme court” Akbar said during a panel discussion on Headline Today.
Hisam Siddiqui, editor of the Jadeed Markaz said: “We should build an aesthetic mosque there and we should be given the land to do so, as well as one-third of the land acquired by the Centre, to facilitate access to the mosque. That would heal the wounds of 1992.” He asked the RSS Chief, Narendra Modi and LK Advani to welcome all aspects of the decision.
Siddiqui, however said that the fact that two judges have used the basis of belief and not evidence to decide matters can be of great assistance when this aspect is challenged in Supreme Court if it is. For me, what is important is that the Masjid has been sanctioned by the verdict.