Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Historic verdict

The verdict on the Babri Masjid title suits which the whole nation looked forward to with bated breath has finally been delivered by the Allahabad High Court. It is, no doubt, historic. It has belied the widely held belief that it would favour one party, affecting communal harmony and peace in the country. By saying the disputed land should be distributed among the Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the party representing Ram Lalla Virajman, the court has prevented all parties from claiming the judgment as a victory. The verdict is a victory for secularism.

M. Jeyaram,

Singapore

By ruling that the status quo should be maintained at the disputed place for three months, the High Court has given an opportunity to both the communities to settle the issue amicably. Let us hope there will be no further appeals and the matter will be settled at the earliest.

T.R. Madhavan,

Hyderabad

The parties to the dispute should try to resolve their differences before approaching the Supreme Court. People should not attribute any motives to the judges or the judgment. It was indeed a tough call for the judges and they deserve our full support and adulation for this remarkable judgment.

Devulapalli Chakravarty,

Visakhapatnam

The Allahabad High Court has vindicated the common notion on how a contentious matter should be settled so that our economically resurgent and forward-looking polity can move forward without the baggage of an unchangeable past. All sides should accept the verdict and refrain from wasting their energy on an appeal.

A. Ramachandran,

Kochi

In the absence of any evidence that Lord Ram was actually born at the disputed site in Ayodhya or that a temple was destroyed by Babur to build a mosque, the verdict passed by the Allahabad High Court is just and appropriate for maintaining peace and harmony.

Although the verdict may seem to be a panchayat-style ruling, it should be accepted by all as a final resolution to a long-standing dispute.

Lt. Col. Ravindranathan

K.V. (retd.),

Palakkad

The storm is, by and large, over. People should welcome the verdict wholeheartedly. I believe that it will pave the way for peace and prosperity.

R. Lenin,

Chennai

The judgment will surely bring smiles on the faces of all. The court has recognised and honoured faith and history and pronounced a pragmatic verdict.

Nori. Syamsunder Rao,

Hyderabad

The High Court has demonstrated that justice needs to adjust to the social realities and that the ends of justice are better served by a decision that accommodates the legitimate interests of all groups.

Chidambaram Ramesh,

Vellore

Justice cannot be done at the expense of communal harmony. This is exactly what the long-awaited Ayodhya verdict is all about. The court has paved the way for reconciliation. I request the electronic media to leave the nation in peace. Please do not prod ‘experts' and force them into saying something that is unnecessary and provocative.

K. Spurty Rao,

Secunderabad

There are no victors or vanquished. The learned judges should be congratulated on delivering the verdict. Political parties should exercise restraint and do nothing to get mileage from the verdict.

K.M. Lakshmana Rao,

Visakhapatnam

There is no need to see the judgment as a victory or defeat. It is too early to say if the verdict will hasten the resolution of the protracted dispute. Anyhow, it is proof that our democracy is healthy enough to let the courts decide the rights and wrongs of conflicting claims to the ownership of disputed religious sites.

G .David Milton,

Maruthancode

That the High Court judgment on Ayodhya has finally been delivered and the initial reactions from all sections strike a distinct note of reconciliation is welcome. There can certainly be no unanimity on an issue that took over 60 years of judicial scrutiny to resolve. The country should use the way shown by the judgment and sort out the residual issues amicably in a spirit of give-and-take.

M.H. Rao,

Hyderabad

It is heartening to see that people acted responsibly in the thick of events and accepted the verdict in its true spirit.

Tejaswi Kumar Medicherla,

Hyderabad

The judgment has offered a compromise formula. No one has lost or won. We have once again proved to the world that ours is a mature democracy.

J. Bharath,

Thanjavur

The judgment will certainly create an atmosphere for peace and reconciliation and pave the way for coexistence. In a classic “no victory no loss” situation like this, leaders of both religions should sit together to find an amicable solution before political parties move in to cash in on the situation.

Lakshmi Bhaskaran,

Srirangam

Let us all welcome the Ayodhya verdict. The judgment upholds the claim of both Hindus and Muslims to the disputed land. I appeal to my fellow Muslim brethren to accept it without any reservations and give the quietus to the dispute in the interest of communal amity.

Khaja Fahimuddin Ahmed,

Bangalore

I take strong exception to the media projecting the Ayodhya land dispute as a dispute between Muslims and Hindus, as though the Sunni Waqf Board's views represent those of the entire community. I am confident that my views on the issue which were published in The Hindu (September 28) are shared by a majority of Muslims. Now that the judgment is out and the Waqf Board which has been given a third of the disputed land is planning to appeal in the Supreme Court, I call upon all Muslims to form a public opinion saying we do not support the Board's decision to continue this fight. The one-third land should be gracefully gifted to Hindus to build the temple.

We have seen 60 years of changing governments. Properties worth billions remain misused and mismanaged by Waqf Boards. Justice Sachar's report is an eye-opener. I reiterate that we Muslims need to gain the goodwill of everyone to get our rights in our day-to-day lives as well as our rights to education and employment.

Jalees Ahmed Khan Tareen,

Vice Chancellor,

Pondicherry University

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