The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Friday said it does not have the option to reject the land given to it under the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict but will decide on how to use it when it meets on Monday.
According to the reports, UP Sunni Waqf Board Chairman, Zufar Ahmad Farooqui said, “Following the Supreme Court verdict, the Sunni Waqf Board does not have the choice of rejecting the five-acre alternative land for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya as it would amount to contempt of court.”
“We had been saying since the very beginning that we will abide by the court verdict on the issue, and because of this we did not go in for a review of the verdict,” he said. “But on how to use the land given to us by the government, it will be decided at the all-important meeting of the board slated on Monday,” Farooqui said.
Farooqui, however, said that they will decide how to use the land given to the Muslims by the government in an all-important meeting of the board to be held on Monday. He added that the apex court order clearly stated that the Uttar Pradesh government will allot a plot to the board and the board had the liberty to build a mosque and associated amenities on it.
Earlier, the Sunni Waqf Board had announced the formation of an Islamic trust to manage the alternate land allotted to the Board in the historic Ayodhya judgment by the Supreme Court. There were reports that the 5-acre land, which the Sunni Waqf Board was granted by the Supreme Court in the historic Ram Janmabhoomi case, will be run by the trust named ‘Indo Islamic Culture Trust’.
The waqf board said that the Islamic trust will promote Islamic culture in India and outside as well and also carry out programs reconciling both the communities in India.
The decision by the Sunni Waqf Board has been taken after the UP government had announced the allotment of 5-acres of land to the board as per SC order. The plot is located in Dhannipur village in Sohawal Tehsil in Ayodhya, which is around 18 km away from the district headquarters and located on the Lucknow highway.
In a historic judgment on November 9, the Supreme Court had established that the Hindus have a right on the entire 67-acre Ram Janmabhoomi and ordered the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It had also granted an alternate 5-acre land to the Muslims to build their Masjid in the Hindu holy town.
Following the judgement of the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in Lok Sabha that the Cabinet has cleared the trust that will manage the 67 acre land in Ayodhya where the Grand Ram Mandir will be built.
“We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called ‘Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra’, PM said.
He had also declared that the UP government has agreed to give the 5-acre land to Sunni Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya Matter.
