Ayodhya dispute: Land dedicated for mosque can't be sold or gifted, says AIMPLB

Hyderabad: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Friday said that the land dedicated for masjid (mosque) cannot be sold, gifted or in any way alienated, reiterating its earlier stand on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.

The board said this following a meeting of its working committee here.

In a statement issued later, the AIMPLB said, ''the board once again emphasises the basic level of Shariah that the land dedicated for Masjid cannot be sold, gifted or in any way alienated."

If once dedicated, it vests in Allah. All the attempts to negotiate the settlements in past have been infructuous & there is no proposal offering settlement without sacrificing, the basic tenet has never been put off the board: Asaduddin Owaisi pic.twitter.com/jpLzpdJIwZ — ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2018

The statement was released by Maulana Umrain Mehfooz Rehmani, secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

He was accompanied by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who read out the statement in English.

However, the two didn't take any questions related to the Ayodhya dispute.

Rehmani, however, said the board will abide by the Supreme Court's decision in the matter.

"The All India Muslim Personal Law Board reiterates its resolution dated December 1990 and January 1993 and once again emphasises the basic level of Shariah that the land dedicated for Masjid cannot be sold, gifted or in any way alienated. If once dedicated, it vests in Allah. All the attempts to negotiate the settlements in past have been infructuous and there is no proposal offering settlement without sacrificing the basic tenet has ever been put before the Board," the statement said.

The All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPB) reiterates its resolution of December 1990 & January 93 & once again emphasises the basic level of Shariah that land dedicated for Masjid cannot be sold, gifted, or in any way, alienated: Asaduddin Owaisi pic.twitter.com/JlN8vigFU8 — ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2018

The three-day 26th plenary session of the board began here this evening.

The Supreme Court, which has started final hearings on the Ayodhya dispute, said yesterday that the case was purely a "land dispute" and will be dealt with in the normal course.

A 2010 verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered the disputed land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

(With PTI inputs)