A petition signed by more than 10,000 members from the Hindu and Muslim communities has suggested that both a temple and a mosque be built at the controversial 70-acre Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi plot in Ayodhya. Former High Court judge Palok Basu, who launched the campaign for an out-of-court settlement, submitted the proposal to Faizabad Divisional Commissioner Surya Prakash Mishra on Sunday, reported PTI.
Basu said they were hopeful that the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute can be resolved without a tedious legal battle. “We hope that the apex court will honour the public sentiments of peace and harmony,” he added. Basu told The Times of India that out of 10,502 signatories, 60% were Hindus and 40% Muslims.
Divisional Commissioner Mishra, however, did not commit to anything. “I received a memorandum regarding the dispute of Ayodhya and a bunch of photocopies containing some signatures. I have yet to decide what to do in this matter.” Mishra will now present the proposal before the Supreme Court, according to The Times of India.
The dispute flared in 1948. On September 30, 2010, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court divided the site where the Babri Masjid once stood into three parts. The bench said two parts would be given to Hindus and the third to the Sunni Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh that represented the Muslims. All the parties involved in the dispute had challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
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