Temple: Board to oppose Centre on lifting of stay

The Board opposition to the plea on lifting of the stay invited a sharp reaction from the BJP. Party president Venkaiah Naidu said the Board had ‘‘no stake’’ in the issue: ‘‘Why are they making comments and taking a stand? The Government has not made any move with regard to the disputed land.’’

The Congress, however, took the stand that ‘‘everyone has to await the court order and anyone can intervene and oppose.’’ Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, ‘‘Legally speaking, the undisputed land is sought to be frozen so as to await and effectuate a final decision on the disputed land. So in that sense both lands are inextricably intertwined.’’

Earlier, emerging from the Board meeting, S Q R Illyas, convener and spokesman of its committee on Babri Masjid, said they would plead before the Supreme Court that the special bench at Lucknow, looking into the title suit, was making ‘‘very satisfactory’’ progress and an early decision could be expected.

‘‘We request the Government not to move in a hurry. At the meeting today, we reviewed the progress of the special bench which we find very satisfactory,’’ Illyas said. The meeting, chaired by general secretary Syed Nizamuddin, was attended by five members and two special invitees, including Syed Shahabuddin.

The Board legal committee, which also met today, decided that the other plea of the Government — for early disposal of the case — would get its support. The application in the case, in which Aslam Bhure is the petitioner, is pending before the Supreme Court.

‘‘The Government has said that the situation is now different. But we feel that the situation has worsened and has been aggravated. In fact, we feel that the stay should remain until final adjudication of the case.’’

‘‘The court’s stay was also based on the Supreme Court’s verdict in 1994 in the Ismail Farooqi case which states that the whole 67 acres of acquired land shall remain in Government possession till a final decision in the pending title suit before the Lucknow bench.’’

The Board, which intervened in the Aslam Bhure case, plans to oppose the move for vacation of the stay when the case comes up for hearing. On the intervention, Shahabuddin said, ‘‘Our plea is that the special bench is moving fast on the case and a decision looks closer now than ever. It was always said that it may take 50 years or 100 years. But that is not what it now looks like. Then what is the hurry?’’

Board counsel Rajiv Dhawan said, ‘‘The Central Government is a virtual trustee of all land at Ayodhya by the Supreme Court verdict of 1994.

Prima facie the Government stand on the matter now does not seem right in law. The Centre must behave in a fair and equivocal manner.’’