SC to begin day-to-day hearing of Ayodhya title dispute from Tuesday

Supreme Court's Constitution Bench will from Tuesday start day-to-day hearing in the Ayodhya title dispute case.

As per the Supreme Court's cause list for August 6, the case will be brought before a five-judge constitutional bench at 10.30 AM tomorrow.

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court had observed that the mediation panel on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute failed to achieve an amicable settlement and decided to hold day-to-day hearings in the decades-old case from August 6.

After taking note of a report of the three-member mediation panel led by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, a Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "The mediation proceedings have not resulted in any final settlement. We, therefore, have to proceed with the hearing of the cases/appeals, which will commence on and from August 6."

The hearing will be held on a day-to-day basis until the arguments are concluded, the bench also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer said in its order.

It asked the lawyers from the Hindu and Muslim parties to indicate the pleadings and evidence on which they propose to rely to allow the Registry officials to keep the documents ready for the perusal of the court.

The bench was hearing a batch of petitions seeking an end to the mediation process and the start of hearing in the Ayodhya title suit.

The bench said that the court is aware that there are many aspects in the matter and it will deal with them.

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

Later, it had granted time till August 15 to the panel to complete the mediation process. 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.