Ayodhya land dispute case: Mediation panel submits report to SC

The mediation panel on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute on Thursday submitted its report in a sealed cover to the Supreme Court.

The report was given to the Supreme Court registry.

A Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had on July 18 asked by the three-member committee, headed by retired apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, to continue with the mediation process and submit a report on the progress made till July 31.

The bench, which also comprises Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, will take up on Friday a batch of petitions seeking an end to the mediation process and the start of hearing in the Ayodhya title suit.

The petitions have submitted that no progress has been made in the mediation ordered by the apex court to explore an amicable settlement to the land dispute.

Among the petitioners is Rajendra Singh, son of one of the original plaintiffs -- Gopal Singh Visharad.

On July 11, K Parasaran, the senior lawyer for Singh, had argued that the mediation process is unlikely to yield any positive result.

"Since mediation is unlikely to bring any positive result, the court should give a date for a hearing in the case," he had submitted.

However, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for one of the Muslim parties, had contested the stand taken by Parasaran.

The court had on March 8 constituted the mediation panel which also comprises Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior Madras High Court advocate Sriram Panchu.

Fourteen appeals are pending before the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict which ordered equal division of the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya among the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The 16th-century Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.