LUCKNOW: One of the main litigants of the Ayodhya title suit, Iqbal Ansari has appealed to the special CBI court to acquit all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case in the interest of Hindu-Muslim unity and communal amity.
The special CBI court in Lucknow will deliver the final judgment in the Babri Masjid demolition case on September 30, in which veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, and Uma Bharti are among the accused.
“With the settlement of the Ayodhya dispute following the Supreme Court order delivered on November 9, 2019, both Ram temple and mosque are being constructed in Ayodhya (at separate locations). Several accused in the (Babri demolition) case have died. It is my personal opinion that the CBI court must acquit all 32 accused to end the dispute and pave the way for Hindu-Muslim unity,” said Ansari.
On November 9 last year, the Supreme Court had paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site till then. The apex court also ordered
the government to allot land for the construction of a mosque elsewhere in Ayodhya.
“When the Supreme Court has resolved the dispute, the CBI court (Lucknow) must also acquit all accused in the larger interest of the nation,” added Ansari.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had invited three Muslims for the Ram temple Bhoomi Pujan on August 5 – Iqbal Ansari, Mohammad Sharif, both from Ayodhya, and Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman Zufar Ahmed Farooqui of Lucknow. But only Ansari attended the ceremony.
Ansari was also against the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s decision to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the top court’s Ayodhya verdict. The Supreme Court dismissed all review petitions in December last year.