29 July 2024: A Delhi resident, Rani Punjabi, has asserted that the land allocated for a mosque in Ayodhya, as per the Supreme Court’s directive following the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid verdict, belongs to her family. She intends to approach the apex court to reclaim possession, reported the Times of India.
However, Zafar Farooqui, head of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust, dismissed her claims, stating that the Allahabad High Court had already rejected them in 2021. Farooqui, who also chairs the Sunni Central Waqf Board, confirmed that the project, including the mosque’s construction, is set to commence in October this year.
Rani Punjabi claims that the five-acre land granted to the Sunni Central Waqf Board is part of her family’s 28.35-acre property in Dhannipur, Ayodhya. She alleges that her father, Gyan Chand Punjabi, received the land after relocating from Pakistan post-Partition and that her family farmed it until 1983, when they moved to Delhi due to her father’s health issues. She insists that her family holds all the necessary ownership documents and seeks justice, emphasizing that constructing a mosque on disputed land is not permissible in Islam.
Farooqui reiterated that there are no impediments to the project, as the High Court had already addressed the land ownership issue. He mentioned that minor issues are being resolved, and the construction will begin by October. The delay in starting the project, initially scheduled for May, was due to the redesigning of the entire plan and pending approval of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) certificate for fundraising.
An anonymous senior official from the project committee noted that they had met with Rani Punjabi several times and advised her to present solid evidence if she had any. However, she failed to provide substantial proof. The Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict mandated the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site and allotted five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust plans to build a hospital, community kitchen, library, and research institute alongside the mosque. The mosque’s construction is expected to align with the completion of the Ram Temple.
