Muslims ready to accept Ayodhya verdict, says oldest litigant

AYODHYA - Mohammed Hashim Ansari, 90, the oldest litigant in the Ayodhya case, Thursday said that Muslims across the globe were ready to accept the final verdict even if it goes against the minority community, but the case should be settled in the high court itself.

Reacting to the Supreme Court deferring the Ayodhya judgment till Sep 28, Ansari told reporters here: “Muslims across the world will not speak anything even if the final verdict on the Ayodhya title suits does not go in their favour, but we personally want the case should be disposed of in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.”

Since the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute has become a political issue, taking this into account Muslims should make every effort to create peace and harmony, he said.

“It’s our responsibility to ensure the judgment in the case does not affect Hindu-Muslim unity,” said Ansari.

The Supreme Court Thursday deferred till Sep 28 its ruling on the pronouncement of the Ayodhya verdict by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.

The apex court also issued notices to all the parties to the title suit and asked Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati to be present in the court when the case is heard five days later.

The ruling followed a petition by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi for postponement of the high court verdict at least until the end of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. It also sought the apex court’s direction to the parties to explore possibilities of an out of court amicable settlement.