Volley of questions by SC irks Muslim side

The Muslim side on Monday objected to a volley of questions targeting it by the fivejudge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi hearing the Ayodhya title dispute .

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing Sunni Waqf Board, told the bench, “You have never asked them (Hindu parties) a question, but directed all the questions to us. Perhaps, the bench should have asked questions to them.”

Dhavan drew the court’s attention to an important aspect in the case, he claimed, “There is no claim of title of the disputed site by Hindus till 1989. And, between 1885 to 1989, no claim on the title of the land has been made .... our claim for possession is first, than their (Hindu parties) claim for title. In 1885 their claim for title was denied and till 1989 there was nothing in between.”

He told the judges that the Hindu side claimed on adverse possession from 1934. “I have not lost title at all. Hindus have only exercised prescriptive right, but never title”, he contended before the bench.

Justice DY Chandrachud told Dhavan to make arguments independent of 1885 suit. Dhavan insisted on his arguments in connection with 1885 suit, where a local court denied the permission to Mahant Raghubar Das to construct a temple at the disputed site.

The series of questions irked Dhavan, and he registered his discontent, and referred to himself being targeted by the bench. He asked the bench to pose similar probing questions to the Hindu parties. “Questions are not put to something which is obvious,” replied K. Parasaran, senior advocate, representing Ram Lalla Virajman.

Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Commissioner Manoj Misra denied permission to the VHP to light lamps at the disputed Ram Janambhoomi site on the Diwali festival.