Ayodhya land dispute hearing not going as per schedule: SC

The Supreme Court, which has fixed the October 18 as the deadline for conclusion of arguments in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, said Friday that the hearing was not going "as per the schedule".

A 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which was hearing the politically sensitive case on 33rd day, had earlier made clear that the Muslim parties should conclude their arguments by 1 pm on September 27.

"How long would you (senior advocate Shekhar Naphade) take," asked the bench, also comprising Justices Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer.

The senior lawyer, who was arguing on behalf of the Muslim parties on the legal principle of res-judicata, said that he would finish his submissions within two hours.

The bench rose after the submission and the CJI remarked: "Things are not going as per our schedule."