Ayodhya dispute case: Sunni WAQF board lawyer threatened for appearing for Muslim parties, contempt plea filed

Sunni Central WAQF board lawyer, Dr Rajeev Dhavan, on Friday filed a contempt petition against one professor, N Shanmugam for allegedly threatening him for appearing for Muslim parties in the Ayodhya Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Dhavan has in his petition pleaded to the top court for initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Shanmugam for interfering with the court proceedings as he had written a threatening letter to him stating that he should not argue on behalf of the Muslim parties before the apex court.

The litigant, in his petition, stated that he had received a letter dated August 14, 2019, from Shanmugam threatening him for appearing for the Muslim parties.

Dhavan, through his Advocate-on-Record, Ejaz Maqbool, has submitted the petition to the top court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Shanmugam.

Around fourteen appeals are pending before the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict which ordered equal division of the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya among the three parties- Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The 16th-century Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December 1992.