Ayodhya: Waqf wants verdict, Akharas seek mediation

The Sunni Central Waqf Board and Mohammad Hashim Ansari, litigants in the Ayodhya title suits, will request the Supreme Court for verdict by October 1, even as other litigant Nirmohi Akhara will pray for a three months' time to resolve the issue through negotiations.

An affidavit has already been sent in which a prayer has been made for pronouncement of the verdict by October 1 since one of the three judges of the Ayodhya bench in Lucknow--Justice DV Sharma-- is due to demit office on that date, counsel for the Board, Zafaryab Jilani told PTI in Lucknow.

"The issue cannot be resolved through negotiations as negotiations have not been able to bring about any result so far. It would be in the interest of justice that the high court may kindly be permitted to announce the judgement by October 1 as one of the judges is retiring on that day," Sunni Waqf Board and Hashim Ansari said in their prayer to the Supreme Court.

Both the parties would also quote important attempts of negotiation between 1986 to 2003, Jilani said. Meanwhile, Nirmohi Akhara will pray before the Apex court that three months time be given for resolving the issue through reconciliation, their counsel R L Verma said.

"It would be prayed that three months be given for resolving the issue through reconciliation and as for the retirement of one of the three judges, a prayer would be made for his extension," he said. Verma said the effort should be made through mediators for making time bound efforts for the solution. 

Meanwhile, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) said that it has decided to oppose the petition for mediation to find a solution to the Ayodhya title suit in the Supreme court and would press for the court verdict on the issue. "We have filed an affidavit in the Supreme court against the petition filed for deferring the verdict and to allow mediation to find a solution to the contentious dispute," state president ABHM Kamlesh Tiwari said.

Alleging that the petition of R C Tripathi was filed on the behest of Congress, Tiwari said they would request the Supreme Court to pass the judgement on the issue. The ABHM, also party in the case, said there was no chance of an amicable solution at this point of time and the court should deliver the verdict to end the 60-year old legal battle.