The Indian Supreme Court has delivered its verdict on the Ayodhya title dispute bringing curtains down on a conflict that has lasted for 165 years
NOV 9, 2019 South Asia Monitor
The Indian Supreme Court has delivered its verdict on the Ayodhya title dispute bringing curtains down on a conflict that has lasted for 165 years. In what is largely seen as taking a middle ground, the apex court has directed five acres of land to be given to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque.
Muslim Boards and leaders across the country have reacted to the judgment with many accepting the Court’s decision and now wanting to move ahead.
Chairperson Zafar Ahmad Farooqui of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, one of the main litigants in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case, welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and said it has no plans to challenge it.
“We welcome the Supreme Court verdict in the case. The Board has no plans to challenge it,” he said. “As of now, the verdict is being studied thoroughly, after which the Board will issue a detailed statement. “If any lawyer or any other person says the decision will be challenged by the Board, it should not be taken as correct,” Farooqui said.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the most significant Muslim political party in the country welcomed the judgement and dissuaded people from engaging in violence.
“We respect the verdict of the Supreme Court. People must not engage in violence. They must exercise self-restraint,” Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, state president of IUML, told Indian Express.
However, not everyone was satisfied with the judgment. Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), reacted to the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict by saying the “Court is supreme but not infallible”. He added that it was a “victory of belief over facts.”