Appropriate bench to fix hearing date in Ayodhya land dispute case on Jan 10, says SC

The Supreme Court Friday said an "appropriate bench" on January 10 will fix the date of hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case.

"Further orders in the matter will be passed on January 10 by the appropriate Bench, as may be constituted," said a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul.

A three-member bench is to be set up for hearing the matter on a batch of petitions.

No sooner the matter came up for hearing, the CJI said it is the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case and went ahead with passing the order.

Senior advocates Harish Salve and Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for different parties, did not even get the opportunity to make any submission.

The hearing did not even last 30 seconds.

After it passed the order, the bench came across a fresh plea which demanded that the apex court should hear the Ayodhya land dispute matter on an urgent and day-to-day basis.

The bench however dismissed the PIL filed by advocate Harinath Ram, who had submitted that in view of the inordinate delay in the adjudication of the matter and in the prevailing sentiments surrounding, the Ayodhya land dispute matter should be given a hearing on priority.

The bench in its order said: "Having heard the petitioner, who is appearing in person and upon perusing the relevant material, we are not inclined to entertain the writ petition. The same is, accordingly, dismissed."