Muslim leaders appeal for peace and harmony following Ayodhya verdict

Prominent Muslim leaders on Saturday appealed for peace and harmony following the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case, even as some expressed surprise over the ruling that cleared the way for a Ram Temple at the site.

In the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case, the apex court also directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in a tweet said the judgment is against its expectations.

"We presented solid evidences to prove our stance. Our legal committee will review the judgment. We have sincerely tried to fulfil our responsibility to restore the demolished Babri Masjid," it said.

In one of the most important and most anticipated judgments in India's history, a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.

Navaid Hamid, president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of several Muslim organisations, appealed for peace and harmony.

Expressing surprise over the ruling, he said that "it is a matter of concern that evidences have not been proved."

Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, the current Mohtamim (Vice-Chancellor) of the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, also expressed surprise over the ruling.

"I was surprised to see the ruling and it's beyond my understanding. I feel there were enough evidences in favour of the mosque but these were not taken into consideration," Nomani told PTI.

He also called for maintaining peace and harmony.

All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) spokesman Maulana Mirza Yasoob Abbas said he welcomes the court's ruling.

"AISPLB will always stand with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on this issue," Abbas told PTI.

Prominent Muslim scholar Maulana Abdul Hameed Noami also appealed for peace and calm.

In Jaipur, the spiritual head of the Ajmer dargah welcomed the verdict and said the judiciary is supreme and everyone should respect the decision.

"It is the time to present a united face before the world because entire world is looking at India today," Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan said.

He said that respecting and honouring the laws of the land is the basic Islamic teaching."We now need to concentrate on the development of self and the nation, Khan said

Iqbal Ansari, one of the litigants in the case, said he will not challenge the verdict in court.

"We welcome the Supreme Court decision and the biggest happiness is that it is finally curtains down on this long pending issue," Ansari told PTI on phone from Ayodhya.

"We will not challenge the court verdict from our side," he said, adding that "we are very happy with the decision."

The hearing in the politically and religiously sensitive temple-mosque land dispute in Ayodhya was the second longest proceedings in the history of the Supreme Court which had lasted for 40 days.

The high voltage hearing in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute involving 2.77 acres of land had commenced on August 6 and concluded on October 16, and the apex court pronounced the verdict on Saturday.