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Even as the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board is firm on its stand of not filing a review or curative petition against the Supreme Court’s verdict on Ayodhya title suit, its members are divided on accepting the 5-acre land for the mosque as ordered by the apex court.
The UP Sunni Central Waqf Board will meet here on November 26 to discuss the Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.
Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman Zufar Farooqui on Wednesday reiterated that they were firm on their stand and would abide by the apex court decision and not file a review petition in the Supreme Court.
On the five-acre land ordered by the apex court for a mosque in Ayodhya, two members of the Sunni Central Waqf Board, Imram Mabood Khan and Abdul Razzaq Khan are not in favour of accepting alternative land for the mosque. Both are former chairman of UP Bar Council.
The other members of the Sunni Central Waqf Board are yet to express their views on this issue. The Sunni Central Waqf Board has eight members.
“The eight members of the Sunni Central Waqf Board will meet at the headquarters in Lucknow and decide what to do with the 5-acre land to be given for the mosque as per the Supreme Court order,” Farooqui said here on Wednesday.
Without commenting on the decision of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to file review petitions in the apex court before December 9,
Farooqui said, “We are firm on our stand and will not file any review petition against the apex court’s ruling; there is no question of joining hands with the AIMPLB.”
The Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman denied the contention of AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani that he (Farooqui) was invited to the Muslim Personal Law Board meeting held in Lucknow on November 17. Farooqui said he had no information about the decisions taken at the meeting of the AIMPLB.
“The apex court’s order for 5 acres alternative land for mosque is an attempt to distract the attention from the infirmities and inaccuracies in the judgement. The order for five acres land is like offering bribe to Muslims,” he said.
“The court has accepted that the Babri mosque was constructed by Mir Baqi, commander of Babur’s army in 1528 and the mosque with three domes and inner courtyard was in the possession of Muslims from 1857 to 1949,” Imran Mabood Khan said.
He said the Supreme Court, despite recognising that the mosque was in possession of Muslims and regular prayers were offered there and also holding that the placing of idols of Lord Ram in the mosque on December 22, 1949 was unlawful, it had awarded the disputed land to the temple side.
Khan said the apex court’s verdict was the of the land and it had set a legal precedent as the Ayodhya verdict would give rise to fresh disputes of this nature.
Khan said he would not attend the meeting of the Sunni Waqf Board on November 26.
Abdul Razzaq Khan is also not in favour of accepting the 5-acre land for mosque. He also opposed the stand of Farooqui to not file a review petition.
“Filing a review petition is part of the legal process and Farooqui is opposing the review petition only to save his skin from the CBI inquiry into the affairs of Sunni Central Waqf Board,” Abdul Razzaq Khan said.
“I will attend the Sunni Waqf Board meeting on November 26 to register my protest against the chairman for not filing the review petition,” he said.
The other members of the Sunni Central Waqf Board are Mohammad Junaid Siddiqui (nominated by the state government), Abrar Ahmed who is Samajwadi Party MLA from Sultanpur, Adnan Farrukh Shah and Ahmad Ali.