‘Acquit all in Babri case for unity’: Muslim litigant Iqbal Ansari

Iqbal Ansari, who was one of the litigants in the Ayodhya title suit in the Supreme Court, on Thursday appealed to the special CBI court to acquit all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case in the larger interest of Hindu-Muslim unity.

The special CBI court in Lucknow will deliver its verdict in the Babri demolition case on September 30, in which veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti, among others, are the accused.

“The Supreme Court has resolved the Ayodhya dispute. Now, 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 apex court had paved the way for construction of the Ram temple at what was known as the disputed site till then. The 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 (Ayodhya title suit), the CBI court (Lucknow) must also end the dispute and 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.