LUCKNOW: The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board is against construction of a steel railing and wooden roof over the idol of Ram Lalla at the disputed site in Ayodhya. The issue will figure prominently at its annual general body meeting in Chennai from August 25 to 27.

The issue of a fresh structure in Ayodhya figures in an application filed by the Union Government in the Supreme Court in the Mohd. Aslam Bhure versus Union of India case of 2002.

The Board and the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee are parties to the case.

Three points

The application, which seeks the court's permission to strengthen the security set-up at the site, contains three points — a temporary bulletproof steel structure on four sides of Ram Lalla, with wooden roof and internal walls, air-conditioning of the bulletproof structure and filling with mud the double wall of steel behind the above structure to avoid any rocket attack.

Board's legal convener Zafaryab Jilani, said the Board and the Committee would file a counter in the Supreme Court. The issue was co-opted at the Board meeting here on April 23, 2006 and it was decided to oppose the move to raise a temporary structure before the court verdict was delivered.

"Building a canopy and an iron railing amounts to raising a permanent structure; the existing position has to be maintained," Mr. Jilani told The Hindu .

Legal point

The Board has raised a legal point, vis-a-vis maintenance of status quo in accordance with Section 7 (2) of The Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993.

The relevant section says, "in managing the property vested in the Central Government under Section 3, the Central Government or the authorised person shall ensure that the position existing before the commencement of this Act in the area on which the structure (including the premises of the inner and outer courtyards of such structure), commonly known as Ram Janma Bhumi-Babri Masjid is maintained."

According to Mr. Jilani, the position of the structure, which existed when the ordinance was issued on January 7, 1993, (before it became an Act) had to be maintained.

Letter to Mulayam

Mr. Jilani, who is also the convener of the Babri Action Committee, sent a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on April 3, 2006. He drew Mr. Yadav's attention to the reported proposal to make the makeshift structure at Ayodhya bulletproof. He warned that the move would be opposed not only by Muslims but also by secular-minded people.

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