Ayodhya case: Has Sunni Waqf Board agreed to give up its claim to disputed land?

A mediation panel constituted by the Supreme Court in the Babri Masjid – Ramjanmabhoomi case said in its report that the Sunni Waqf Board had offered to drop its claim to the disputed land in Ayodhya, according to media reports.

Quoting unnamed sources, the NDTV reported on Wednesday that the Waqf Board also raised no objection to the land being taken over by the government for the construction of a Ram temple.

The mediation panel on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that the Waqf Board has sought to withdraw from the title suit even as the top court wrapped up the 40-day long marathon hearings in the politically sensitive case.

The latest development comes amid reports of a possible rift between members of the board after Uttar Pradesh government recommended an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against its chairman ZA Faruqui over the alleged illegal sale and purchase of land for the board. 

The TV channel claimed that the Waqf Board offered to build a mosque at any other suitable place while demanding that the existing mosques in Ayodhya be renovated by the government. It's not clear whether other parties in the case have approved of these proposals.

The mediation effort was initiated by a Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on March 8. The members of the panel include former Supreme Court judge F.M. Kalifulla, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu.

On Wednesday, the five-judge bench concluded arguments in the 70-year-old case and granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on 'moulding of relief' or narrowing down the issues on which the court is required to adjudicate. The other members of the bench are justices S.A. Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer.

The protracted hearing in the Ayodhya dispute had entered the crucial final leg on October 14 when the apex court resumed proceedings on the 38th day after the week-long Dussehra break.

The Constitution bench, which started the day-to-day proceedings on August 6 after mediation proceedings failed to find an amicable solution to the vexatious dispute, had revised the deadline for wrapping up the proceedings.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties—the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The judgment in the matter is to be pronounced by November 17, the day the Chief Justice of India will demit the office.

(With inputs from PTI)