Oldest litigant to file appeal in Ayodhya case
Ninety-year-old hoped for resolution in his life
Lucknow: Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the Ayodhya land dispute, has finally given up hope for an out-of-court settlement on the issue, saying he will file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court today against the verdict of the Allahabad High Court.
Ninety-year-old Ansari, who had initiated moves for a final settlement on the issue through negotiations, said yesterday he was compelled to make the decision following much opposition from various parties.
After 21 years of hearings, Allahabad High Court passed the verdict September 30 by its special bench comprising of Justices S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agrawal and Dharam Veer Sharma, dividing the land where the Babri mosque once stood into three parts — one each for Ram Lalla and a Ram temple and one for the mosque.
It also suggested re-adjustment of land to the parties out of the surplus 67 acres of adjoining land acquired by the union government.
However, far from being pacified, the contestants — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla — moved the Supreme Court against the verdict.
Ansari was only one to refrain so far from filing an appeal because he believed that his efforts towards an out-of-court settlement would bear fruit.
‘I tried everything'
"I tried everything to bring an end to the court battle. I hoped and prayed that the other parties would agree with me. I hoped the issue would end in my lifetime. But sadly that does not seem to be so. Therefore I have signed the documents for filing the appeal", Ansari told IANS over the telephone from Ayodhya.
His lawyer Zafaryab Jilani, who was the first to move the apex court on behalf of the Sunni Central Waqf Board that was also represented by him, said: "Hashim Ansari has at long last sworn an affidavit to appeal against the high court verdict."
