‘mediator’ sri sri starts ayodhya dialogue
Kazmi, AIMPLB member, said out of court settlement was possible if both sides exhibited an open mind.
Once again track two has been activated to find a way to end the impasse in Ayodhya. In what is seen as a fresh attempt made by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to mediate in the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir dispute, a meeting between AIMPLB member and Nirmohi Akhara has taken place in Bangalore on 6 October. Insiders say that this was an exploratory meeting and an attempt to reach out to both sides for an out of court settlement. Mufti Aijaz Arshad Kazmi was present from the AIMPLB and Hindu Mahasabha was represented by Raja Ramchandra Acharya. Both agreed with Sri Sri that an out of court settlement was the best way forward to resolve this long standing dispute.
Speaking to NewsX, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that a platform is needed to show the essence of brotherhood. It’s all about moving in a positive direction and parties who are involved need to come together. He also said that though efforts were made in the past but the situation is different now. Calling this move non-political, he said that all efforts are being made at his end.
Mufti Aijaz Arshad Kazmi, member AIMPLB, welcomed the approach of Sri Sri and said that an out of court settlement is possible if both sides exhibit an open mind. Speaking to NewsX, Aijaz said that, “Ravi Shankar told us that the mandir can’t be made by hurting the sentiments of another group. As the court judgement is likely to go in one group’s favour and the other side is going to be disappointed, the best way to move forward is through dialogue. I will talk to the members of our community and will take this initiative forward.”
Raja Ram Chandra Acharya, who was representing Nirmohi Akhara, said, “As far as the Babri Masjid is concerned, the fight is between Central Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara in the Supreme Court of India and Lord Ram has already taken over that place.” On being asked about talks with Sri Sri in Bengaluru, he said that after the meeting concluded they were of the opinion that an agreement must be reached. He also added that this is not a fight between Lord Ram and Allah but a fight between the Central Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara. He further said that an out of court settlement can be “easily done”.
BJP Rajya Sabha member, Dr Subramanian Swamy also sounded optimistic of this move by Sri Sri Ravishankar and said that he too had spent time in talks with Sri Sri from 20 to 25 October, deliberating over the same proposition. He also said that given Sri Sri’s stature and acceptability, the chances of the success of this outreach were very high.
However, not everybody in the AIMPLB is equally excited.
Zafaryab Jillani, who is the counsel for the AIMPLB, raised questions about the locus standi of Sri Sri Ravishankar. “Who is he to mediate? Does he have the mandate from the government? So there is no merit to any such proposition.”
Iqbal Ansari, son of Hashim Ansari, who was the litigant for Babri Masjid, welcomed the move and said that if a mutual decision can be taken, it will be good for both sides. “Politics on this issue is being played from both sides. But we were not called for the meeting. All sides should be called and also the government should take some steps, so that confidence in these measures increases,” he said.
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the 2.77 acres of the disputed land of Ayodhya to be divided into three parts, with 1/3rd going to the Ram Lalla or infant Lord Rama represented by the Hindu Maha Sabha for the construction of the Ram temple, 1/3 going to the Islamic Sunni Waqf Board and the remaining 1/3 going to a Hindu religious denomination, Nirmohi Akhara. This order was challenged in the Supreme Court, where the case is sub judice. The apex court on 21 March said that fresh attempts must be made by all parties to end the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through a negotiated settlement.
Hearing in the Ram Mandir case will begin in the Supreme Court from 5 December. In this all the concerned parties will present their case to the apex court for the title suit. Interestingly, the former Chief Justice of India, Justice J.S. Khehar had asked the concerned parties to resolve the issue amongst themselves. He himself had volunteered to help the parties to come to an out of court settlement. However, the offer was rejected and now the case will be heard as per merit.