Muslim Clerics Attack Swamy, Say Can’t Settle Ram Mandir Dispute Outside Court

The Muslim clerics on Tuesday appeared not to be in tune with the Supreme Court’s suggestion that the Ayodhya issue be settled through discussions and said that things would have resolved long back if the matter could have been settled out of court.

“Let the court decide about the land and must give verdict accordingly. But there cannot be any solutions through talks. If it would have been so, things would have resolved long back,” Gulzar Azmi, the Secretary of the Legal Cell of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, told ANI.

Zafaryab Jilani, the convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, resonating similar views asserted that the decision cannot be taken outside the court.

"We cannot go for out of court settlement. What Swamy said does not matter. He is gaining publicity just like that as he has no locus standi and we do not want to give him any answer," said Jilani.

When asked to comment on the obervations made by the bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Jilani said that such negotiations have failed earlier, an out of court settlement is not possible.

The apex court earlier in the day said Ayodhya dispute is a sensitive and sentimental issue, adding its best that this matter is settled amicably. The court was hearing a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy seeking urgent hearing of Ayodhya dispute in the apex court.

The court asked parties concerned to sit together to arrive at a consensus and asked Swamy to consult the parties and inform it about the decision on 31 March.

The court also suggested if required, a principal mediator can be chosen by the court for settling the issue. Chief Justice Khehar said if the parties want him to mediate then he is ready for the task.

With inputs from ANI