The Supreme Court, on the 18th of September, set a deadline for the ongoing Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
The SC set the 18th of October as the deadline to resolve the dispute and complete the hearing of the years old Ram Temple and Babri Masjid dispute. The SC said, “If parties are desirous of settling the matter through mediation, they can do so.”
Apart from this, the SC also assured daily hearings regarding the case.
The Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case is a long standing dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims for a piece of land in Ayodhya.
The Babri Masjid was demolished by a few Hindu extremists, who believed Ram was born in the same spot where the Masjid was built. Both the Hindus and the Muslims have been trying to reclaim the same piece of land.
The SC decided to set a deadline as Ranjan Gogoi, the Chief Justice of India (CJI,) is going to retire on the 17th of November 2019.
CJI Gogoi asked the petitioners to make an effort and cooperate to conclude the case by the 18th of October. He asked all the petitioners to submit a time schedule so that the Court can hear their arguments, following which, they can take an appropriate decision regarding the same.
Mr. Gogoi said, “Let us make a joint effort to conclude the same by the 18th of October.”
On the 18th of September, during a 6 minute hearing, CJI Gogoi declared mediation as a failure and asked the SC to conduct daily hearings from now onwards. Ranjan Gogoi said, “Simultaneously the mediation process can go on along with the hearing, which is going on in Supreme Court and if an amicable settlement is reached by it, the same can be filed before the SC.”
On the 8th of March, the SC constituted a panel of mediators, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a spiritual guru, retired Justice F.M. Kalifulla, and Sriram Panchu, a senior advocate.
The Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case is being handled by a bench of five judges, which includes CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S.A. Nazeer.
Stay tuned for further updates.
