Sunni Waqf board argues against Nyas’s civil suit

NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Wakf Board claimed on Friday that the civil suit filed by Ramjanmabhumi Nyas, one of the Hindu parties to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, was a “socio-political vehicle” for the organization that gave a political overtone to the Ayodhya Ram temple campaign.

The board’s counsel, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, highlighted the political nature of the temple movement and contended: “Thus it is clear that suit no.5 was a socio-political vehicle for the Nyas, pointing to the future and trying to reiterate the past to serve the future.” The board is the main petitioner in the land title suit.

The senior advocate was addressing a bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising justices SA Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, which is hearing appeals against the 2010 verdict of the Allahabad high court dividing the disputed 2.77 acres in Ayodhya into three equal parts to be given to the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the organisation representing Ram Lalla, the infant deity.

Attacking the Nyas, Dhavan said the “purpose and direction” of the suit filed by the trust was to remove all the existing structures and destroy it to the extent required.

The karseva (voluntary work) done for the proposed temple was “entirely political” for which the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had collected consecrated stones from across the country, he said.

Dhavan questioned the logic behind the Ramjanmabhumi Nyas even being a petitioner in the case. According to him, the sole purpose was to create not just a juristic personality but to have two legal regimes — one the idol regime and the other bhumi.