Nirmohi Akhara had no right to inner courtyard, SC told

NEW DELHI: Stressing its claim to the disputed site in Ayodhya, the Sunni Waqf Board on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that Nirmohi Akhara had been worshipping on the Ram Chabutra in outer courtyard and was never possessed the inner courtyard. “Nirmohi Akhara had been worshipping on Ram Chabutra in the outer courtyard. They were never in the inner courtyard,” senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan said while arguing for the board.

Raising a question on how Nirmohi Akhara had come there into the inner courtyard, he said that it was done by an illegal act in 1949. He said that when the idols were “illegally” placed under the central dome, then the Faizabad District Magistrate placed the site under the custody of the state. “Can we go to the magistrate and say ‘Give it to me, you owe me a duty’. The only duty he owes is to law,” Dhavan argued saying that land does not belong to the Akhara.

Describing the ten days when the Hindus parties entered the central dome of the disputed site and claimed their right, he said that Akhara has to prove their possession their right beyond that.

“They have to establish that they had a pre-existing right. What is their right? What is the right that it constitutes a continuous wrong?” Dhavan said. As the argument remained inconclusive, the court listed the matter for Thursday for further hearing. IANS