PIL in SC seeks directions to Center to Nominate Sunni Members of Government to Trust Entrusted with Mosque Construction in Ayodhya, UP [READ PETITION]

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the directions for the Center to create a Trust, containing individuals from the Union and State Government of Uttar Pradesh belonging to Sunni Muslim people group, to administer the development of a Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. 

Filed by Advocate Shishir Chaturvedi and Advocate Karunesh Kumar Shukla, the petition urges the Supreme Court to guide the Central Government to set up such a Trust to guarantee the successful implementation of the Judgment in the Ayodhya land dispute case, whereby 5 acres of land was allocated to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the development of the Babri Masjid. 

Thus, they pray "for issuance of direction to the Central Government to create a trust consisting of nominees of the Central and State Government belonging to Sunni Muslim Community for the proper administration of the land and construction to be raised over 5 acres land allotted to U.P.Sunni Central Waqf Board in pursuance of judgment and order dated 9 November 2019,  in the famous Ayodhya land dispute case".

The petitioners argued that so as to guarantee harmony and peace, there must be proper administration and use of funds just as well as the property allocated towards the construction of the Babri Mosque. 

The petition further emphasizes that compliant with the judgment dated 9 November 2019, the Center made a 'Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra" trust for the construction of the development of the Ram Mandir. A trust deed was executed and the land was then given over to the trust to regulate the development of the well known and which is known for its significance since ancient times, the Ram Mandir of Ayodhya. 

Concluding it, the petitioners informed the Court that the Uttar Pradesh Government has apportioned 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board which has thus announced the foundation of a trust under the title of 'Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation'. This trust has been made for looking into the development of the Babri Masjid alongside with other facilities at the allocated land. 

However, they argued that there is no arrangement with respect to the nomination of the Central Government officials to this trust, not at all like what the Center provided for the trust to manage the Ram Mandir development. 

Explaining this, the petitioners claim that it is important for the Central Government to be stayed up to date with all significant data about the way in which the trust is going about carrying out its functions. 

As the Mosque is built, and related facilities are made available to the general population, it will attract donations and there will be money coming from the people from across the world. In this manner, the petitioners argued, to keep up harmony and public order, it is fundamental that there are no acts of malpractices and mismanagement inside the trust. 

"It is expected that hundreds of persons will visit at the site of 'Islamic Trust' and it will get contributions from within India and also from foreign countries. It is the desire of every Indian that there should be peace and tranquillity in Ayodhya and that there should be proper management of the funds and the property vested in the Islamic trust. It is in the public interest that the Central Government and the State Government may have all relevant information about the working of the trust to maintain public order and to ensure that no malpractices take place and the funds are not mis-utilized or misappropriated by any trust."

Along these lines, pray the petitioners, it is of essence that the Center makes arrangements and provisions by which people from the Central and Uttar Pradesh Government are selected to the trust observing the construction of the mosque in a similar way as it did with the Ayodhya Teerth Kshetra Trust.

[READ PETITION]