Ayodhya heaves a sigh of relief,but delay adds to uncertainty

Ninety-year-old Mohammed Hashim Ansari,the lone surviving title suit petitioner and among those issued notice today,said while he respected the Supreme Court decision,he did not think there was room for any compromise between those party to the suits.

In Ayodhya,all heave a deceptive sigh of relief

“The Supreme Court must have had a reason to stay the verdict. I would like to read its decision first. I want the title suit verdict delivered in my lifetime,” he said.

Rejecting the list-ditch effort for a compromise solution on the issue,Ansari said: “I want a verdict from the court,not from a panchayat.” He was critical of the Congress,accusing the party of “creating the dispute” and now “conspiring for a compromise”.

Most mahants of Ayodhya,including Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das,are not in town and those here declined any immediate comment on the decision to stay the verdict.

Last week,the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected petitioner Ramesh Chandra Tripathi’s plea to defer the verdict. He had cited apprehension of breach of peace and wanted the issue resolved through mediation. The Sunni Central Board of Waqfs and the Hindu Mahasabha filed objections against the move to try and defer the verdict,saying there could be no compromise on the disputed site matter.

Since this morning,the only talk in the two towns was whether the Supreme Court would take up Tripathi’s petition. Even policemen patrolling the streets of Ayodhya checked with reporters whether there was any word from the Supreme Court. Many crowded around TVs in shops,tracking news bulletins across channels,others busied themselves in newspapers.

With pilgrim flow down to a trickle,lanes were deserted and shops remained empty. “If this continues,we will be ruined. We sit in our shops all day but there are no customers. Today is poornamasi (full moon day) and this lane should have been full of people. But look around you,there is nobody here,” said Rakesh Kumar of the

Avantika Mishtan Bhandar near Hanumangarhi.

SSP R K S Rathore told The Indian Express that 5,000-6,000 policemen were on duty. There was calm in both towns despite the high state of alert and the new barriers in place. But as the hours passed,nervousness mounted in the countdown to the verdict. Word of the Supreme Court decision spread like wildfire — shopkeepers abandoned plans to take a day off Friday,children were told to attend school and reporters packed bags.

For now.