A representative of the UP Sunni Waqf Board said some of the parties involved in the Ayodhya title dispute have reached a settlement, which will ensure a "win-win situation for both sides and there will not be any need for judgment".
Advocate Shahid Rizvi, speaking on behalf of Waqf Board Chairman Zufar Ahmad Farooqui, said: "The terms of the settlement are such that no party will be disappointed, and we urge the other parties (Ram Lalla Virajman and Nirmohi Akhara) to shun differences and join us in resolving this age-old dispute."
The Board is one of the most prominent stakeholders in the case from the Muslim side. There are also other Muslim parties involved in the case including appeals filed in a personal capacity.
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Ram Lalla and the Nirmohi Akhara did not participate in the second round of mediation after the first round failed to ensure parties in reaching an amicable resolution. The apex court began daily hearing in the case on August 6. The second round of mediation was initiated at the behest of Muslim parties, in the middle of September, and the top court had given its approval on the continuation on the process of mediation.
Rizvi insisted that the dispute of this nature does not need a judgement, and that a settlement is the best resolution. However, counsel representing the Board in the top court have refused to comment on the nature of settlement, and have gone on record saying they are not in the know-how of any settlement.
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Two appeals were been filed by the Board in 2011 -- the main lawsuit and the Ram Lalla lawsuit.
Rizvi said the court-appointed mediation panel had filed a report in the apex court based on terms and conditions on which the parties agreed. The report was filed in the court on Wednesday morning.
He, however, refused to divulge the details on the nature of terms and conditions agreed between the parties which include the Waqf Board, Nirvani Akhara and three other Hindu parties.
He also refused to comment if the Board has expressed willingness to part with the Babri Masjid area in exchange for any other site in Ayodhya. " The mediation panel has made tremendous achievement by coming out with a resolution. Now, the apex court will decide on the mutual settlement filed on court's direction," added Rizvi.
However, the Nirmohi Akhara has rubbished the claims on mediation. "Why were they (the Waqf Board) waiting for the judgement to be reserved. They should have come to the court and agreed for the title of dispute site in favour of us," its spokesman Kartick Chopra, said.
Citing the legal channel of settlement before the judgement, Rizvi said there is a provision in civil cases where parties can settle the matter even after the judgement has been reserved. "Everybody wants to settle the matter. Moreover, it is not a one-sided settlement," he added.
A five-judge of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had on Wednesday reserved its judgment in the case after a marathon 40-day hearing.
