Sunni Waqf Board meets Tuesday, discussion on whether to file Ayodhya review plea

The Sunni Central Waqf Board will meet here on Tuesday to discuss the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict, amid reports that its members are divided on whether to file a review petition against the judgment. The meeting is also expected to discuss whether to accept a plot of land that the judgment said must be given to Muslims to build a mosque, Waqf Board chairman Zufar Farooqui said Monday.

After the five-judge bench delivered its historic verdict on the Ranjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute, Farooqui had come out against filing a review petition. But some board members went public against the stand. "The members can discuss the issue during the November 26 meeting. I have been authorised to take a decision on behalf of the board but if any member has an objection to it, he can raise it in the meeting scheduled on November 26 here," Farooqui had said.

In a unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court had paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It also directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque. "It has to be seen whether the board can refuse to take the five-acre land for the construction of a mosque as ruled by the Supreme Court. Will it amount to contempt of court? The board has started taking legal opinion on this point," he had said.

Farooqui said there were divergent views within the eight-member board on the matter and the number of those suggesting that the plot should be used for some "constructive work" to give a message to the world is "very low". The Sunni board was a main litigant in the Ayodhya case.

Earlier, the All India Muslim Personal law Board (AIMPLB) said a review petition will be filed against the judgment. It is also against accepting an alternative site to replace the mosque that was demolished in Ayodhya in 1992.

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