Ayodhya verdict: Muslim Body files review petition against SC's verdict

NEW DELHI: Against the decision of the Supreme Court allowing the building of a temple on the former site of the Babri Masjid, a review petition has been filed by the Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.

According to Hindu beliefs, the 2.77-acre plot of land is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The Babri Masjid stood on the site for centuries until it was destroyed by Kar Sevaks in 1992, which resulted in riots nationwide.

The Supreme Court last month had awarded the disputed land to the deity Ram Lalla, but gave the Sunni Waqf Board a different, five-acre plot of land within Ayodhya for a mosque. It is also yet to take a call on whether to accept the five-acre plot.

However, before 9 of December, besides the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is also expected to file a plea for review.

A majority of Muslims want the review petition to be filed but very few in the community are against it, Maulana Arshad Madani, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said. "The court has given us this right and the review must be filed. The main contention in the case was that the mosque was built by destroying a temple. The court said that there was no evidence that the mosque was built after destroying a temple; the title of Muslims, therefore, was proven, but the final verdict was the opposite," Madani said.

"So we are filing a review as the verdict is beyond understanding," he added.