Will move court if ordinance is brought for Ram temple construction, says Muslim board

Amid a growing chorus from saffron outfits for an ordinance for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya before 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday said it will move court if the Centre brings a legislation on the decades-long dispute or the "triple talaq" bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha.

The Babri mosque dates back nearly 500 years when it was built in Ayodhya by Mir Baqi, a commander of the first Mughal emperor Babur, in 1528. Hence the mosque's name, Babri Masjid. Photo: AFP (File)

LUCKNOW: Amid a growing chorus from saffron outfits for an ordinance for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya before 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday said it will move court if the Centre brings a legislation on the decades-long dispute or the "triple talaq" bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha. The Muslim board also asked the Centre to ensure that no inflammatory statements are made regarding the Ayodhya issue and urged the Supreme Court to take cognizance of such remarks. "The Centre has brought an ordinance on triple talaq. Its duration is of six months. If it is made into a law, then we will challenge this in the Supreme Court," PTI quoted a senior member of the board as saying at a meeting of the AIMPLB's working committee. "This ordinance was prepared without any consultation with the Muslim society... we will urge the secular parties not to allow its passage in Parliament," Qasim Rasul Iliyaas said. Iliyas also said, "In the Ayodhya issue, the final decision of the court will be acceptable to the board." Secretary of the board Zafaryab Jilani: "In the condition of maintaining status quo at the disputed site, legally no ordinance can be brought... If an ordinance is brought, then the board will challenge it." The Supreme Court had in October said that an "appropriate bench" will decide in the first week of January the schedule of hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. Pressure has been mounting on the BJP from the Sangh Parivar, of which it is a part of, and a section of hardliners within the party to make headway for the construction of Ram temple, which they termed as an issue relating to peoples' faith (aastha). The Sangh Parivar has been demanding construction of a temple at the disputed site through an act in Parliament. However, with the BJP's tally in the Lok Sabha having gone down on account of loss in a number of by-polls and the party falling short of majority in the Rajya Sabha there have been demands that an ordinance be promulgated to facilitate temple construction before the general elections due next year.