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Arshad Madani: Millions have found verdict to be beyond their understanding
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani on Wednesday said that the purpose behind filing a review petition in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit verdict is not to disrupt the country’s solidarity but to use the privileges provided by the law of the land to seek review of a judgment that is “beyond understanding”.
Both Jamiat and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) have decided to file review petitions in the Supreme Court against its November 9 verdict that paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
Madani’s comments come days after National Commission for Minorities chairman Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi said that a review petition is a “dangerous” proposition as it would send out a message that Muslims are deliberately creating obstructions in the building of a Ram temple. A group of 100 Muslim intellectuals from various fields have also issued a statement, saying that a review petition would only keep the dispute alive and harm the Muslim community.
“The purpose of filing the review petition by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is not to disrupt the country’s solidarity and law and order, but using the privileges provided in the law… This is because millions of our countrymen, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and legal experts have found the verdict to be beyond their understanding,” Madani said, adding that the draft of the review petition is ready.
A faction of Jamiat, led by his nephew Maulana Mahmood Madani, though has expressed its reservations about filing a review petition, stating that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. However, it has decided not to oppose others who file a review petition.
On November 14, the working committee of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had formed a five-member panel of legal experts and ulema (religious scholars) to look into each aspect of the Supreme Court verdict. The panel under Madani’s chairmanship observed that the Supreme Court’s judgment was not a final one as the option of a review was available under the Constitution.
