Oldest Babri case litigant Ansari in ICU, stable

In 1954, he was sentenced to two years jail by Faizabad court for giving azaan (call for namaz) in the Babri Masjid.

The oldest surviving litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri mosque dispute, Mohd Hashim Ansari has been admitted to the ICU of King George Medical University here and his condition is stable.

The 96-year-old had complained of chest pain and congestion and was moved from Faizabad to KGMU’s cardiology department on Saturday.

Doctors attending on Mr. Ansari on Sunday said they were conducting follow up tests on his permanent pacemaker implant.

He has been complaining of chest congestion for the last 10 days, they said, adding his hemodynamic parameters were within normal range and the pacemaker was also functioning normally.

Mr. Ansari’s 2D echo—cardiography was also normal and his condition is stable, they said.

A resident of Ayodhya and tailor by profession, Mr. Ansari has been associated with the case since December 1949 when idols of Lord Ram were allegedly planted in the Babri Masjid.

In 1954, he was sentenced to two years jail by Faizabad court for giving azaan (call for namaz) in the Babri Masjid.

Later, in 1961, Mr. Ansari along with six others became main plaintiff in the ‘Ayodhya title suit’ filed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board in the court of Faizabad civil judge.

Mr. Ansari is the only surviving plaintiff.