UK Indian Muslims for ''amicable settlement'' in Ayodhya-02/10/2010

02/10/2010

UK Indian Muslims for ''amicable settlement'' in Ayodhya

London, Oct 1 (PTI) A body of British Indian Muslims here has underlined the need for "an amicable and peaceful settlement" of the disputed land in Ayodhya, amid the controversial verdict of the Allahabad High Court.

Munaf Zeena, the Chairman of Council of Indian Muslims, UK, there was no need to "keep a society in an atmosphere of bitterness and tension" over the issue.

"No sane person would want to drag on an issue and keep a society in an atmosphere of bitterness and tension," he said.

In the much-awaited verdict, the Allahabad High Court yesterday ruled that the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims and held that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Rama currently exists belongs to Hindus.

The majority 2-1 verdict of the Lucknow bench of the court, said to be running into nearly 8,000 pages, comes after nearly 60 years of tortuous litigation over who holds the title to the disputed site.

Still, the order may not be the last word and the issue may land up in the Supreme Court.

"We in the CIM are for an amicable and peaceful settlement of the dispute" he said.

However, he said for the highest judicial authority to "totally ignoring vital historical and archaeological facts" and make "sweeping statements that may have far reaching implications for the status of waqf properties in India and giving a judgement on aspects that it was never asked to adjudicate is travesty of justice".

The majority judges declared maintenance of status quo at the disputed land for three months.