The Sunni Waqf Board has clarified that it will not file any review petition against the Supreme Court verdict that paved the way for a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. Earlier, their lawyer had asserted that he was not satisfied with the judgment and the Sunni Waqf Board may file a review petition against it.
“We welcome and humbly accept the verdict of the Supreme Court. I want to make it clear that UP Sunni Waqf Board will not go for any review of the SC order or file any curative petition,” Zafar Farooqui, Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, said in a statement to the press. “Hence, any statement in this regard by any individual, lawyer or organization which mentions that U.P. Sunni Waqf Board will go for a review is not our line,” he added.
Farooqui further stated, “We are grateful to the Honourable Supreme Court for setting aside as ‘erroneous’ the observations of one of the Honourable Judges of the Allahabad High Court (2010), which diluted the provision of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.”
Earlier, Babri Masjid Action Committee member and Sunni Waqf Board’s lawyer Zafarayab Jilani had said that they will study the judgement and consult with senior lawyers to decide whether to file a review petition against the apex court verdict.
When asked about the alternate site given for Muslims, Jilani had said that Muslims can’t accept land in exchange of mosque, as the mosque is ‘owned by Allah’. He said that the Masjid is priceless and it can’t be shifted, adding that the 5-acre land has ‘no value for Muslims’.
