Oldest litigant in Babri case 'stable' but still in ICU

LUCKNOW: The condition of the oldest surviving litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri mosque dispute case Mohd Hashim Ansari, admitted to the ICU at a hospital here following complaint of chest pain and congestion, is stable.

"His condition is stable, but he is still in the ICU under observation," Dr Ved Prakash, who is attending on Ansari, told PTI here today.

The 96-year-old was admitted to the ICU of King George Medical University's cardiology department on Saturday.

A resident of Ayodhya, Ansari has been associated with the case since December 1949 when idols of Lord Ram were allegedly planted in the Babri Masjid. In 1954, he was sentenced to two years jail by Faizabad court for giving azaan (call for namaz) in the Babri Masjid.

In 1961, he along with six others became main plaintiff in the 'Ayodhya title suit' filed by the Sunni Central Waqf Board in the court of Faizabad civil judge. Ansari is the only surviving plaintiff.