Ayodhya verdict: We decided to take the risk, says Justice Khan

Judges were required to clear the "innumerable landmines" in the disputed site in Ayodhya "where angels fear to tread" but decided to take the risk despite some saner elements advising us not to attempt it, says Justice S U Khan.

Giving some insight into the complex issues before the judges, he said they had decided to address it but not rush into it like "fools".

"Here is a small piece of land (1,500 square yards) where angels fear to tread. It is full of innumerable landmines. We are required to clear it."
      
"Some very sane elements advised us not to attempt that. We do not propose to rush in like fools lest we are blown. However, we have to take risk. It is said that the greatest risk in life is not daring to take risk when the occasion for the same arises," he wrote in the prelude to his 285-page judgement.
      
"Once angels were made to bow before man. Sometimes he has to justify the said honour. This is one of those occasions. We have succeeded or failed? No one can be a judge in his own cause," he said.
      
Justice Khan along with Justices Dharm Veer Sharma and Sudhir Agarwal on Thursday gave separate judgements running into over 8,000 pages. The court held that two parts of the disputed site of 2.77 acres of land will go to Hindus and the remaining one part will go to Muslims.
      
The court held that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Ram exists belongs to Hindus, paving the way for the construction of a temple there.
      
Justice Khan was of the view that the verdict has given Indian Muslims a good opportunity to spread to the world the teachings of Islam.
      
Noting that Muslims here have been rulers of the land, also being ruled over and currently share power, he said Indian Muslims are in the best position to spread the teachings of Islam in the present time.
      
"They (Indian Muslims) are not in majority but they are also not a negligible minority. In other countries either the Muslims are in huge majority which makes them indifferent to the problem in question or in negligible minority which makes them redundant," he said.
      
"Indian Muslims have also inherited huge legacy of religious learning and knowledge. They are, therefore, in the best position to tell the world the correct position. Let them start with their role in the resolution of the conflict at hand," he noted.