Lucknow: Three plaintiffs in the Ayodhya dispute case have announced that they will not accept any out-of-court settlement.
The plaintiffs, Haji Mahboob, Iqbal Ansari and Mohammad Umar, decided at a meeting of local Muslims in Ayodhya that “Muslims will not shift the mosque” to any other site or gift the land to any party.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the plaintiffs said the Hindus can build Ram temple on Ram Chabootra in the outer courtyard of the Babri Masjid.
The statement also rejected any out-of-court settlement in Babri Masjid/Ram Janambhoomi case and said Muslims will only obey the Supreme Court verdict.
The statement signed by the plaintiffs, further claimed that the meeting was attended by the representatives of Barelvi, Deobandi and Shia sects of Muslim community.
The development is a setback to the efforts being by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar and Muslim cleric Maulana Salman Nadvi for an out -of-court settlement in the Ayodhya dispute.
Haji Mahboob, one of the plaintiffs, told a news agency, that they had no objection of Hindus building Ram Mandir on Ram Chabootra.
“Babri Masjid was never built after demolishing any temple. Before December 22, 1949, Muslims offered ‘namaaz’ regularly there. Before 1949, Hindus never staked claim on the masjid. Since 1885, Ram Chabootra, situated outside Babri Masjid, was observed as Ram Janamsthan and regular pujas of Ram Lalla was done there,” he said.
