New Delhi: Saying that chairman or president of any Waqf board is only a custodian or trustee of the wakf properties and not an owner, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Syed Arshad Madani today said the former has no right to donate or surrender any mosque or wakf property.
He was commenting upon UP Waqf board’s reported move to withdraw its appeal. Explaining further, Jamiat president said Masjid is dedicated to the Almighty Allah and even the person who endowed any plot of land for this purpose which becomes the property of the Almighty Allah, has no right to take back that plot of land dedicated for the mosque or change its status.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) is one of the 8 parties to the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmbhoomi title dispute case.
Maulana Madani forcefully reiterated its stand on the historic Babri Masjid that its status cannot be changed at any cost and no institution or individual has authority to surrender or gift the mosque and claimed that Babri Masjid case was not a custody suit but a title suit.
On the Sunni Waqf Board’s reported move to drop its appeals in the matter Maulana Madani said the Masjid status is not negotiable. He said the stand of the Indian Muslims on the status of the Babri Masjid has been always remained the same that a land dedicated for the Masjid, its status cannot be altered, changed or transferred in any manner.
Citing Sharia laws, JIH president emphasized that Muslims have not right to change the status of the Mosque as it always remains the place of worship till the day of judgment, therefore, Muslims cannot surrender their claim on the mosque or transport it to another place.
Maulana asserted that the Indian Muslims’ claim is based on historical facts and evidences that Babri Masjid was constructed without demolishing any temple or any other place of worship.
Slamming Sunni Waqf Board for its reported decision to drop the case Maulana Madani said it might be a deliberate attempt to demoralize the Muslim community psychologically.
Saying that the Babri masjid was the victim of unlawful and highhanded acts Maulana Madani pointed out that the Hindutva activists surreptitiously placed idols of the baby Ram and Sita in the mosque, following which the premises were locked by the UP state government and then in February 1986, the locks were reopened and finally in December 1992 the mosque was pulled down in the broad daylight in the presence of thousands of police personnel and a makeshift temple was built on its land.
Since the Constitution of India empowers us to fight this injustice through legal means, we have been fighting the case in the court of the land, he said.
He said Indian Muslims have full faith in the Constitution and the judiciary and they are waiting for the apex court’s judgment in the Babri Masjid case.
Thanking and appreciating Jamiat’s legal team particularly Sr. Adv. Dr Rajiv Dhavan and Eijaz Maqbool for their services, Maulana Arshad Madani said both the counsels have defended and argued the case par excellence and presented all the evidence before the apex court in an effective manner.