Local Mosque Near Ram Mandir To "Sell" Land To Temple Trust For Rs 30 Lakh

The caretaker of a mosque near the under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya has entered into an agreement with the temple trust to "sell" the mosque land for Rs 30 lakh, according to a complaint lodged with the district authorities by local Muslims.

Though the sale agreement was inked on September 1, the matter came to light recently. Local Muslim groups have now sought action against the caretaker of the mosque and called for cancellation of the agreement.

On Thursday afternoon, a delegation of Muslims met the Ayodhya district magistrate and handed over a memorandum demanding the lodging of an FIR against the mosque caretaker and cancellation of the agreement of sale done between him and the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.

District Magistrate Nitish Kumar said, "The application regarding the sale of 'Masjid Badr' has been received by my office and Additional District Magistrate (Enforcement) Amit Singh has been asked to probe the matter." The delegation was headed by Azam Qadri, the president of Anjuman Muhafiz Masajid Wa Makabir, a local committee formed to save the waqf property in Ayodhya.

Azam Qadri said the caretaker of Masjid Badr, Mohammad Raees, has entered into the sale agreement for a total of Rs 30 lakh and has taken Rs 15 lakh in advance.

The mosque is situated in Mohalla Panji Tola of Ayodhya and is used for daily prayers by locals, he said.

The mosque is duly registered with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, he said.

Station House Officer of Ram Janambhoomi police station M P Shukla said they were investigating the matter.

Aftab Ahmad, senior counsel for the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, said, "According to the central waqf act and different rulings given by the Supreme Court at different times, no one has the right to either sale, transfer or gift waqf properties. Those involved in selling or entering into agreement of sale of 'Masjid Badr' of Ayodhya have committed a crime and their acts are against the law." Representatives of the temple trust could not be reached for a comment on the issue.

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