BJP blames Ayodhya tangle on judicial delays

New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said judicial delays caused the imbroglio over the Ayodhya issue, a day after the Supreme Court stayed the scheduled Sept 24 verdict by the Allahabad Court leading to deferment of the judgement further.

“The BJP is of the considered opinion that judicial delays over the last 61 years have contributed to the failure of the resolution of the issue of construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya,” BJP leader Arun Jaitley told a press conference.

“We hope that resolution of this issue is not delayed any further,” Jaitley added.

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the much-awaited verdict on the Ayodhya title suit by the Allahabad High Court?s Lucknow bench by a week, leaving “room” for a possible out of court settlement, an option trashed by the contending parties represented by the Muslim and Hindu groups.

The Supreme Court division bench, which itself was divided, deferred it by a week, acting on the plea of a petitioner seeking the deferment of the verdict by the high court in view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games and possibility of an out of court settlement.

The Supreme Court will hear the deferment plea of the verdict awaited from the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench on Sept 28.

The verdict on the 60- year-old Ayodhya title suits to determine who owns the disputed land is being awaited with eagerness by both the Muslims and Hindus and with consternation by the governments tasked to prevent riots over the issue.

The entire nation will be awaiting the decision by the three-member Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, comprising of Justice S U Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice D V Sharm, in one of the fieriest affairs in the country.

Over 2,000 people were killed in the riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, who claimed the Masjid was built after demolishing a Ram temple in 1528.