SC rejects PIL seeking to stop public from airing views till decision on Ayodhya land case

The Supreme Court on Thursday summarily dismissed a PIL seeking a direction to organisations and public at large to "behave" and not air their views that can spoil the atmosphere till it decides the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case.

The apex court had on October 29 fixed the Ayodhya case for the first week of January before an "appropriate bench", which will decide the schedule of hearing.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices K M Joseph and M R Shah refused to entertain the PIL filed by Bankim K Kulshrestha seeking a direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs that different organisations and persons be restrained from airing their views, which can spoil the atmosphere, till the apex court decides the case.

The moment Kulshrestha opened his submissions, the bench intervened by saying, "With due respect, please look at your prayer, you want people to behave before the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case is decided. Dismissed".

Earlier, the apex court, on November 12, had declined an early hearing of the petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case and had said that they have already been listed in January next year.

A three-judge bench of the top court had on October 29, by a 2:1 majority, refused to refer to a five-judge constitution bench the issue of reconsideration of the observations in the 1994 judgement of the Allahabad High Court that a mosque was not integral to Islam. The matter had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute.

As many as 14 appeals have been filed against the high court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77 acre land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.