Why Kapil Sibal is seeking deferment of Ayodhya case, Amit Shah asks Congress

AHMEDABAD: BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday asked the Congress to clarify if it agreed with its leader Kapil Sibal, who as the counsel for the Sunni Waqf Board in the Supreme Court sought deferment of the Ayodhya case until after 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing for Sunni Waqf Board, requested the apex court that the appeals in the Ayodhya case be heard in July 2019 after completion of the next Lok Sabha polls as the atmosphere at present was not conducive. Shah tried to corner the opposition Congress over Sibal's submission in the apex court. "Today a surprising stand was taken in Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal. He said hearing in the case should be deferred till after 2019 LS polls," Shah told reporters in Ahmedabad. ALSO READ: The timeline of the Ayodhya dispute "On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples for election campaigns in Gujarat, while on the other hand, Party is using Kapil Sibbal to postpone the hearing in the Ayodhya case," Shah alleged. Shah said Congress should clear its stand on whether it agreed with Sibal or not. Rather than seeking an early resolution to this vexed legal issue, Congress party is trying to delay the hearing in the case, he said. The apex court has rejected Sibal's submission that the hearing in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute be put off till the next general election. The Supreme Court today decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8 next year.