Hashim Ansari, Oldest Litigant In Babri Masjid Case Dies At 96

Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case that over the years has become a flashpoint for Hindu-Muslim tensions, died at his home at the age of 96.

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Ansari has been associated with the Babri Masjid land title case since 1949. He was among those arrested for breaching public peace after the episode in which idols of Lord Ram were planted in the mosque.

In 1952, Ansari was sentenced to two years in jail by a Faizabad court for giving the Azaam call in the disputed mosque. In 1961, he along with six others, became the main plaintiff in the ‘Ayodhya title suit’ filed by Sunni central Waqf board in the court of Faizabad civil judge.

Ansari was the lone surviving litigant and considered the main voice from the Muslim-end. Allahabad High Court in 2010 in its majority verdict allotted had divided the contested land three-ways and the case is now with the Supreme Court.