SC verdict on Ayodhya best solution for both minority and majority: Abhishek Manu Singhvi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict in Ayodhya case after hearing arguments from all the concerned parties.

New Delhi: Hours after the Supreme Court reserved its verdict in Ayodhya title dispute case after hearing arguments from all the concerned parties for 40 days, senior Congress leader and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi has said that the top court verdict is the best solution to the highly-vexed and politically sensitive case for both minority and majority.

"I am a firm believer that the best solution to what is a very fractious issue in this country, the Ayodhya debate, both for minority and for the majority, is the Supreme Court`s verdict," Singhvi said.

"The government may try its best but even if it does a good thing, it won`t be acceptable and the same goes for the opposition as well. So, a court`s verdict, either way, is an excellent idea," he added, according to ANI.

Singhvi`s remarks come hours after the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions in connection with the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, reserved the judgement, after a marathon 40-day hearing in the case. 

The apex court also directed all the concerned parties to submit written submissions in three days. The lawyer of Hindu Mahasabha, Varun Sinha, said that the SC has reserved the order and has made it clear that the decision will come within 23 days.

Before the conclusion of the hearing, the counsel for Sunni Waqf Board advocate Rajeev Dhavan reiterated the demand to restore the mosque saying, "The right to reconstruct the building belongs to us. The bricks are still there...The place still belongs to Waqf."

"My plea is not only for the title. There are other aspects. The declaration is for a public Waqf. It was a public mosque. It includes the mosque, land and many things. If Hindus are able to prove title before 1855, I adversely own the place for more than 2 centuries," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Sunni Waqf Board surprised everyone by sending a proposal to SC-appointed mediation panel seeking to withdraw from the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. ''The chairman of Sunni Waqf Board has sent the proposal to Shriram Panchu, who is one of the members of the SC-appointed three-member mediation panel,'' the Board said.

Notably, the SC did not hold any discussion on the Sunni Waqf Board's proposal and continued ith its proceedings in the matter. There are a total of seven Muslim parties in this case, out of which Shia Waqf Board has already told the SC that it is in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. The other six Muslim parties, in this case, are Sunni Waqf Board, Hashim Ansari/Iqbal Ansari, M Siddiq, Misbahuddin, Farukh Ahmed and Maulana Mehfuzur Rahman.

Now that the hearing in the case has concluded, the top court is expected to deliver its verdict in the case between November 4-17 as the CJI is going to retire on November 17.

The four other judges, in the five-judge Constitution bench which heard the case, were - Justices Sharad Arvind Bobde, Ashok Bhushan, D Y Chandrachud and S Abdul Nazeer. 

(With Agency Inputs)