We're ok with building Babri Masjid at a distance, Shia Board tells SC

Board asserts ownership of Babri land, says mosque and temple can't co-exist, will create conflicts

The Shia Central Waqf Board on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the Babri Masjid could be built at a distance from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

In its submission to the apex court, the Shia Board claimed that the Babri Masjid was its property and that the right to negotiate an amicable settlement of the dispute was solely vesteed with it.

Seeking more time from the Court to set up a committee for exploring such an amicable settlement, the Board said conflicts owuld arise if the Ram temple and the mosque co-existed

It further suggested that a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge should be set up to work out an amicable solution to the dispute. Nominees from the Prime Minister's Office and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's Office, along with other stakeholders should form part of the panel.

The next hearing of the land dispute is on Friday, August 11.

A mob of Hindu activists had demolished the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, claiming that a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram had been brought down in the 16th century to create space for building the mosque.