HIGHLIGHTS
- 5-judge Constitution bench headed by CJI said that it is hearing the Ayodhya land dispute case for last 39 days and no more time beyond today will be granted to parties to conclude arguments
- SC bench also rejected a plea by a party to intervene in the ongoing hearing and said no such interventions will be allowed at this stage of proceedings
NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday asked the parties in the Ayodhya land dispute case to conclude arguments by 5pm today even as the top court-appointed mediation panel submitted its report.
A 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that it is hearing the Ayodhya land dispute case for the last 39 days and no more time beyond today will be granted to parties to conclude the hearing in the case.
“This matter is going to be finished today by 5pm. Enough is enough,” the bench, which also comprises justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, said at the start of the proceedings on the 40th day.
The bench also rejected a plea of a party seeking to intervene in the ongoing hearing and said no such interventions will be allowed now at this stage of proceedings.
Meanwhile the
Sources close to the mediation panel refused to divulge details of the purported settlement reached by SC appointed mediation panel.
However, the sources said the broad settlement among rest of the parties was to allow Hindus to construct Ram temple at the disputed site but adequate land to Muslims for construction of a mosque at the state expenses.
Sources said the settlement also factored in Muslim parties demand for implementation of Religious places Act, 1991 which mandated status quo of other religious places as they existed in 1947.
The Hindu parties, VHP-backed Ram Janmastan Nyas and the Deity represented by next friend, have refused to take part in the mediation process, which was restarted last month on the request of Sunni Wakf board after the panel had expressed inability to resolve the dispute.
On Tuesday, the Hindu parties pleaded with the Supreme Court to
committed by Mughal invader Babur by erecting a mosque at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Appearing for Hindu parties, former attorney general K Parasaran told a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer that Hindu kings never went beyond the boundaries of India to invade foreign lands but India suffered multiple invasions.
(With inputs from agencies)
