We stand by Kapil Sibal's request: Zafaryab Jilani

Zafaryab Jilani, convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) which has been fighting the Ayodhya dispute case on behalf of the Muslims, on Wednesday showed solidarity with senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, in the wake of his asking for a July, 2019 date for the next hearing of the long-standing matter.

"Whatever Sibal has said has been stated with prior consultation with all advocates including leaders of the Muslim Personal Law Board. Sibal had discussed this. With full confidence, we can say that we completely endorse what Sibal said," Jilani said.

To this end, Sunni Waqf Board member Haji Mehboob, who had earlier in the day distanced himself from Sibal's statement, said, "If Jilani saab is saying that what Kapil Sibal said yesterday was right, then I agree with him. I don't want to say anything else."

Speaking to ANI, Mehboob had earlier said, "Yes, Kapil Sibal is our lawyer, but he is also related to a political party. His statement in the court yesterday was wrong. We want a solution to the issue at the earliest. We have got nothing to do with his statement."

The Supreme Court yesterday deferred hearing in the case for February 8, 2018.

Following this, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Amit Shah, in a press briefing, took a potshot at the Congress Party and its vice president, Rahul Gandhi, for adopting 'double standard' in the matter.

The Congress Party then furthered the war of words and said the BJP was raking up non-issues just to garner votes.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.

The Hindus, however, claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque. Citing this, Hindu zealots demolished the mosque on December 06, 1992, triggering communal riots in various parts of the country.