Will not challenge Supreme Court verdict, says oldest litigant's son

Ayodhya : Plaintiff Iqbal Ansari has said that he would accept the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit and would not file any petition challenging the verdict.

Iqbal Ansari, whose father Hashim Ansari was the oldest litigant in the Babri case, said he is happy that the case was reaching its logical conclusion.

"For almost 70 years, Ayodhya has witnessed politics over the dispute and now I hope that the city will see some development too," he stated.

Iqbal Ansari said he had vowed to carry on the fight started by his father and had fulfilled his promise.

"My father died in July 2016. He was 95 and he worked as a tailor and then opened a cycle repair shop.

He was associated with the Babri title suit since 1949 and was among those arrested for breaching public harmony when the idols of Ram were planted in the mosque," said Iqbal.

Hashim Ansari was sentenced to two years in jail in 1952 for giving 'azaan' for namaaz at the disputed site. In 1961, Hashim Ansari and six others became the main plaintiff in the title suit filed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board in the court of the Faizabad civil judge.

Senior BJP leader and Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi on Thursday said there was no need for any "evidence" to say that the disputed site in Ayodhya was the "Ram Janmbhoomi", as he expressed confidence about getting justice from the Supreme Court.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated that the Supreme Court's verdict is the best solution to the Ayodhya debate for both minority and majority.

"I am a firm believer that the best solution to what is a very fractious issue in this country, the Ayodhya debate, both for minority and for the majority, is the Supreme Court's verdict," said Singhvi.

The government may try its best, but even if it does a good thing, it won't be acceptable, and the same goes for the opposition as well. So, a court's verdict, either way, is an excellent idea," he added.

Singhvi's remarks come hours after the Supreme Court (SC) reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions in connection with the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

A representative of the UP Sunni Waqf Board said some of the parties involved in the Ayodhya title dispute have reached a settlement, which will ensure a "win-win situation for both sides and there will not be any need for judgment".