Muhammad Mujahid Syed

Saudi Gazette

LUCKNOW, India — “Construction of ‘Ram Mandir’ on the disputed site where the Babri Masjid once stood is not in the cards as the interim order of the Supreme Court is in operation,” said Zafaryab Jilani in an interview to Saudi Gazette recently.

During the interview, Jilani, who is the former additional advocate general of Uttar Pradesh government, the convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee and a member of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, shed light on different important challenges Indian Muslims are grappling with.

The Supreme Court’s interim order was granted in May 2011 on the appeal filed by the Muslims against the Allahabad High Court judgment of Sept. 30, 2010.

In its judgment, the court had ruled a three-way division of the disputed site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

The three-judge bench, by a 2:1 majority, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and ‘Ram Lalla’.

Taking exception to the High Court judgment, appeals had been filed by Muslims as well as the Hindus in the Supreme Court. The next hearing on these appeals are scheduled for Dec. 5, 2017. So during the pendency of the appeal, no construction is possible on the disputed site, Jilani clarified.

Commenting on spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s mediation bid to ensure out-of-court settlement of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoommi dispute through negotiations, Jilani said, It is an exercise in futility.”

He also clarified that the Supreme Court’s powers of deciding a case are in no way affected by any public dialogue or even by the negotiations being held between some or all the parties. It is only when parties to the case file any written compromise that the Supreme Court may not decide the case on merits.

“Negotiations have always failed at the highest level; twice at the level of prime minister; and twice at the level of Shankracharya. So there is no chance of the success of any negotiations because the demand of Hindus in all the negotiations directly or indirectly has been that Muslims should relinquish their claim, for which the Muslims cannot agree. So the only possible way of resolution of the dispute is by adjudication (decision) of the Supreme Court,” he added.

When asked about the dubious role of the people Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy and Waseem Rizvi who recently joined issue, Jilani said: “Wasim Rizvi is the chairman of the Shia Waqf Board and when the BJP had come to power in the center, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad had prevailed upon the Home Minister Rajnath Singh for holding a CBI inquiry against some transactions made by Rizvi, and Mohsin Raza, who was the Waqf minister in the state government.” So in order to escape the scrutiny, Rizvi somehow managed to come in contact with the RSS leader Indresh Kumar, who is the patron of Rashtriya Muslim Manch (an RSS outfit). Through him, he met with the chief minister Yogi Adityanath and then he was referred to Subramanyam Swamy, a senior BJP leader. Swamy later drafted a 30-page affidavit, which was filed by Rizvi in the Supreme Court claiming that the Babri Masjid was a Shia mosque and the Shia Waqf Board had decided to donate the land of Babri Masjid to Ram Janambhumi Trust.”

After filing this affidavit, efforts to institute a CBI inquiry against Rizvi were stalled. So as long as he will go on issuing statements against Muslims and in favor of Ram Janambhumi he will remain safe.”

“As far as Prince Tucy is concerned he is in touch with Shri Shri Ravi Shankar. He claims to be a direct descendant of the last Mogul emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. So far he has not said anything against the Muslims’ claim on Babri Masjid and he has simply moved an application before the Sunni Waqf Board for being appointed as the Mutawalli of Babri Masjid.”

Regarding the Supreme Court judgment on ‘triple talaq’ and the latest developments in this regard, he said, “The judgment that ‘triple talaq’ in one sitting is invalid and illegal, meaning thereby that no court of law or any authority will recognize such a divorce. So far as the stand of the Muslim Personal Law Board is concerned, it has categorically informed the Supreme Court that the ‘triple talaq’ in one sitting without any lawful justification was not only disapproved but was also a condemnable act. The board also informed the apex court that it was already carrying on the movement for the eradication of this evil practice.