Ayodhya
“The UP Sunni Waqf Board’ case is being handled by two advocates, Shahid Rizvi and Shakeel Ahmed Saed in the apex court,” said Zufar Ahmed Farooqui, chairman of the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board.
“Haji Mehboob, who has given a statement (to news agencies) saying that Sibal was a Sunni Waqf Board lawyer, is himself not a member of the Sunni Waqf Board but an individual party in the matter.” He said the Board had given no brief to its lawyers to seek more time.
AIMPLB said in a statement that it “endors and confirms” the statement of Sibal “that it was not the right time take up the matter for Final Hearing.”
It added that the board expects parties not to make political statements as the matter is sub-judice.
The man referred to by Farooqui, Haji Mehboob, had said, “Yes, Kapil Sibal is our lawyer, but he is also related to a political party. His statement in the court yesterday (on Tuesday) was wrong. We want a solution to the issue at the earliest. We have got nothing to do with his statement.”
Mehboob had claimed to be a member of the Sunni Waqf Board.
Speaking to HT on the condition of anonymity, a lawyer appearing for one of the litigants in the case said that Sibal, Rajeev Dhawan and Dushyant Dave were arguing for all the litigants, and that the Waqf Board may be backing off now that the issue has turned into a political hot potato.
Nritya Gopal Das, the most revered Mahant in the temple town, who is spearheading the temple movement, addressed a gathering of saints and Hindu activists.
“At present we have a favourable government both at the Centre and in the state. It is the right time for construction of grand temple in Ayodhya,” he said.
“If there is delay in construction of Ram Mandir, the Modi government will have to face its consequences in 2019 elections (general election). Voters will not spare BJP,” the septuagenarian saint warned. Environment and Consumer Protection Foundation highlighting the plight of widows of Vrindavan. The court held rehabilitation of widows was necessary to “bring back some sunshine in the lives of the widows in Vrindavan and in ashrams elsewhere in the country”.
The court had expanded the scope of the petition, asking all states to take steps to improve the plight of widows.
The Centre was asked to place a report on how much work states had done to provide legal aid for widows, medical insurance, opening employment avenues in the care and hospitality sector, setting up old age homes and linking widow pension schemes to procure medical facilities for them.