AIMPLB and Jamiat to seek review of Ayodhya verdict

Lucknow: Nearly a week after the Supreme Court's judgement in the Ayodhya issue, Muslim bodies, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, have decided to challenge the verdict and file a review petition.

"The land of the mosque belongs to Allah and under the Sharia, it cannot be given to anybody," AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani told reporters after a meeting of the board here. He informed that AIMPLB board is also against accepting the five-acre alternative land given for a mosque. "We will file a reconsideration petition within 30 days," Jilani said.

The Board said the five-acre alternative land for a mosque awarded by the Supreme Court "will neither balance equity nor repair the damage caused".

"We feel that Sunni Wakf Board shall give respect to this view of the community at large," it said.

Earlier on Sunday, The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, whose former Uttar Pradesh

General Secretary M Siddiq was one of the original petitioners, said it will file the review petition soon as the verdict is "not based on evidence and logic".

Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani said they took the decision following extensive deliberations involving lawyers and experts. See P6