AIMPLB to decide on Ayodhya review on Nov 17: Jilani

A lead counsel for the Muslim parties in the Ayodhya land dispute case has said the decision on seeking a review of the verdict would likely be taken in a meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday.

In a historic and unanimous verdict, a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

"The decision whether to seek review of the verdict will be taken on November 17 in the meeting of the AIMPLB," senior advocate Zafaryab Jilani told PTI on Monday.

Jilani was responding to a question whether the Muslim parties were contemplating to seek a review of the verdict in view of the dissatisfaction in certain sections of the community.

The senior advocate had represented the Muslim parties, including the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, in the case in trial court, Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court.

While decreeing the law suit in favour of deity 'Ram Lalla Virajman', the apex court had exercised its extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution and directed the Centre to allot five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for construction of the mosque.

It clarified that either the central government could give the five-acre land to the Sunni Waqf Board from the nearly 68 acres land that it had acquired in 1993 under the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act or the state government could hand over the piece of land at a 'suitable prominent place in Ayodhya'.