Senior Advocate Zafaryab Jilani, 74, secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), passed away today in Lucknow. Jilani had been in poor health for some time. Jilani's son Najam Zafaryab told news agency PTI that his father died at a local hospital around 11.50 am. Jilani is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
As the convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, Senior Advocate Jilani presented arguments in the Ram Janmabhoomi case before the Supreme Court. He had also previously served as the Additional Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh.
His last rites will be performed at Aishbagh cemetery in Lucknow on Wednesday evening, as per PTI.
AIMPLB member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali told PTI: "Zafaryab Jilani contested the Babri Masjid case in various courts and was also the convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee along with being the secretary of various educational institutions. I hope that Allah gives him absolution and strength to the people he has left behind."
Babri Masjid Action Committee
Following a district judge's order to open the locks on the Babri Masjid mosque in Faizabad, the Babri Masjid Action Committee was formed in February 1986. The committee aimed to support the shrine and counter the growing Hindutva movement. Jilani was appointed as the convener of the committee.
Since then, Jilani has dedicated his life to the cause of Babri Masjid. On December 6, 1992, a mob of right-wing activists demolished the mosque.
Allegations emerged of larger conspiracies involving the BJP government led by Kalyan Singh in the state and the Congress government at the Centre remaining silent. This event prompted a shift for Jilani, who transitioned from being primarily an activist to assuming the role of an advocate.
In 2019, when the Supreme Court settled the land dispute case, Jilani expressed no regrets about the extensive time he had devoted to the case.
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