Ayodhya Dispute: Sunni Waqf Board Ready to Drop Its Claim on the Disputed Land
A meditation group of the Supreme Court which has submitted its report recently declaring the wish of the waqf board, which could lead to a breakthrough in the 134-year-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
The Sunni Waqf Board, which is one of the claimants of the disputed land in Ayodhya has finally offered to drop its claim to the disputed site and has said it has no objection to the land being taken over by the government for a Ram Temple. A meditation group of the Supreme Court which has submitted its report recently declaring the wish of the waqf board, which could lead to a breakthrough in the 134-year-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
Besides agreeing to give up its claim to the site, the Waqf Board has also asked the mediation panel, that the government should renovate other existing mosques in Ayodhya. The board has also offered to build a mosque at any other suitable site.
Meanwhile, the mediation panel in its report has said that the Waqf Board can identify and submit a list of ASI (Architectural Survey of India) mosques that can be considered for renovation and used for prayers.
The report, also says that there is a demand for a National Institution for Harmony in Ayodhya, for which Mahant Dharam Das and Shri Aurobindo Ashram of Pondicherry have offered land.
This detail from the report has emerged after a hectic day in Supreme Court, which ended daily hearings on the dispute, saying, “Enough is enough”.
On Wednesday, senior lawyer K Parasaran, who is representing ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’ or infant Lord Ram, argued, “There are 55-60 mosques in Ayodhya alone. But for Hindus, it is the birth place of Lord Ram, we can’t change the birthplace”.
At this, the Waqf board has offered this as a solution but it also has to be accepted by the other parties to the dispute for the solution to work out. Meanwhile, it is still not clear whether the Nirvani Akhara, the Shankaracharya of Dwaraka and the Hindu Mahasabha have approved the suggestion of Waqf board to the mediation panel or not.
The mediation panel comprises of a former Supreme Court judge FM Kalifulla, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, who started consultations with various groups in the month of March this year.
On Wednesday morning Justice Kalifulla submitted the report to the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, but Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not mention it on Wednesday. There is a possibility that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya case, which is due to come out next month, will reflect the points in the mediation report. The judgment of Ayodhya’s disputed site is expected to be delivered before Chief Justice Gogoi retires on November 17.
Both Hindus and Muslims has claimed the land, where a 16th-century Babri mosque stood, before it was brought down in December 1992 by Hindu activists who believed that it was built on the ruins of an ancient temple which is the birthplace of Lord Ram. The cataclysmic incident shook Indian politics and caused riots across the country and has been a big political issue during general elections.