Iqbal Ansari, the main litigant in the Ayodhya land dispute case, on November 17 distanced himself from the decision of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to file a petition seeking review of the Supreme Court verdict.
Soon after the verdict was pronounced on November 9, Mr. Ansari had stated that he would not seek review of the verdict.
“There is no use of going for the review as the outcome will remain the same...the move will also vitiate the harmonious atmosphere,” he told PTI after the Board decided to file a review petition in the apex court.
“My views are different from that of the Board and want an end to the mandir-masjid issue at this very point,” he said.
The AIMPLB decided on November 17 that it would file a petition seeking review of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Ayodhya case and said it was against accepting the five-acre alternative land given for a mosque.
“The land of the mosque belongs to Allah and under the Sharia, it cannot be given to anybody,” AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani told reporters after a meeting of the Board in Lucknow.
“The Board has also categorically stated that it was against taking five-acre land in Ayodhya in lieu of the mosque. The board is of the view that there cannot be any alternative to the mosque,” he added.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title case on November 9, said the entire 2.77 acres of disputed land should be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who was one of the three litigants.
The five-judge Constitution Bench also directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya to build a mosque.
