India Tomorrow
New Delhi, July 18— The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Ayodhya mediation panel to continue negotiations to develop a consensus between Hindu and Muslim parties on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute till end of this month. The apex court urged the mediation panel to submit their final report by July 31. The top court indicated it might start hearing the appeals from August 2.
“We now fix the date of hearing on August 2nd. We request the mediation committee to inform the outcome of the proceedings as of July 31,” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.
On July 11, the Supreme Court had said it would start hearing the Babri Masjid title suit from July 25 if the mediation panel remained inconclusive. The top court had asked the panel to submit its interim report by July 18. The top court had passed the order after hearing an application filed by one of the parties representing the Hindu community. The petition was moved day before to list the dispute for adjudication saying there has been no progress in the mediation process. Gopal Singh Visharad had filed the application. His counsel and senior advocate P.S. Narasimha mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose.
On March 8 this year, the SC had referred the decades-old title suit to a panel of three mediators — former SC judge Justice F M Khalifulla, ‘Art of Living’ founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Senior Advocate and acclaimed mediator Sriram Panchu. The top court had directed the panel to submit report within 8 weeks. However, on May 10, the court extended the time for the completion of mediation till August 15.
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had trifurcated the 2.77 acres of Ayodhya land. With Hindu Maha Sabha representing the infant Ram getting 1/3 for the construction of Ram Temple, 1/3 going to the Sunni Waqf Board and the remaining 1/3 going to a Hindu religious denomination Nirmohi Akhara.
The HC bench of Justices S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D.V. Sharma held by 2:1 majority that the portion under the central dome of the demolished three-dome structure was the birthplace of Lord Rama “as per faith and belief of the Hindus.” The court had also held that Hindus had exclusive rights over the disputed site. It is the same spot where the idol of Ram Lalla had been kept in a makeshift temple.
However, all concerned parties challenged the HC verdict in the Supreme Court where it has since been pending.
Babri Masjid — From Installation of Hindu idols to Demolition
Some Hindu idols were installed inside the 16th century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1949. The title suit has since been in court. The mosque was razed to the ground by a Hindutva mob on December 6, 1992 claiming that the mosque was built on the place where Ram was born. Through the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993, the central government had acquired 67 acres of land in Ayodhya, including the plot of 2.7 acres where the mosque once stood.
On the other hand, the cases related to the demolition of the mosque are also going in lower courts. Several top leaders of BJP and Sangh Parivar are facing trial.
Judge Seeks Time to Conclude Trial in Babri Masjid Demolition Case
Meanwhile, the judge of a special CBI court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case has moved the Supreme Court seeking more time to conclude trial against the accused, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and others. The judge is due to superannuate on September 30, 2019. Hearing his request, filed in a written form in May this year, the Supreme Court on July 15 asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it by July 19 about a mechanism by which the tenure of the special judge could be extended till he delivered the verdict in the case, says a report in LiveLaw.in.
