‘Apex court’s decision will provide direction to Ayodhya case’

LUCKNOW - Residents of Ayodhya heaved a sigh of relief after the Supreme Court decided to lift the stay on the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title case, as they believe the move will provide “momentum and direction to the long-pending case”.

“Today’s (Tuesday) decision by the Supreme Court is a significant one. In my opinion, everyone would welcome it as it will help the age-old legal dispute to reach some conclusion,” said Haji Assad Ahmad, corporator of the Ramkot ward of the Ayodhya city.

“I don’t say the upcoming judgment on the Ayodhya issue by the high court will end the legal dispute all of a sudden, but it would definitely bring a new development in the case. Later, the parties to the case would be free to move the Supreme Court, depending on the outcome of the judgment,” Ahmad told IANS on telephone from Ayodhya, some 150 km from Lucknow.

Echoing similar sentiments, Anil Singh, a professor with the Hindi department of the Saket Post Graduate College in Ayodhya, said: “The decision by the Supreme Court will definitely be hailed by members of both the communities as it has ended the uncertainty over the long-pending issue.”

“Chances are that after the high court’s judgment, the aggrieved party would move Supreme Court and a new legal battle would start. Taking this into account and also their personal experience till now in the case, Ayodhya residents now want that the dispute should be resolved within a particular time frame,” Singh told IANS.

Ekhlaq Ahmad, a Faizabad-based businessman, said: “The Supreme Court’s decision would definitely ease the frustration of the Ayodhya residents who have been waiting for the judgment for the last several decades. The Apex Court’s decision will definitely provide momentum and direction to the case.”