New Delhi: The Supreme Court today commenced hearing in the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya after the efforts to arrive at an amicable settlement through mediation have failed.
“Let us begin the hearing,” said a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, had on 2 August taken note of the report of the three-member mediation panel, headed by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, that the mediation proceedings, which went on for about four months have not resulted in any final settlement.
Nirmohi Akhara, one of the parties in the politically sensitive case of the Ayodhya land dispute, told the Supreme Court today that no Muslims were allowed to enter the structure since 1934 and it has been in exclusive possession of the Akhara.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, was told by senior advocate Sushil Jain, appearing for Nirmohi Akhara, that it was seeking management and possession of the area. The Akhara counsel told the court that its suit was basically for belongings, possession and management rights.
“I am a registered body. My suit is basically for belongings, possession and management rights,” said the Akhara counsel.
He also told the court that the Akhara was in possession of the inner courtyard and Ram Janmasthan for hundreds of years.
“We were in possession of inner courtyard and Ram Janmasthan for hundreds of years. Outer courtyard having “Sita Rasoi”, “Chabutra”, “Bhandar Grah” were in our possession and it was never a part of dispute in any case,” the senior counsel told the bench.
At the outset, the apex court had rejected the plea of former RSS ideologue K N Govindacharya seeking live streaming or recording of the case proceedings.
It had on 2 August taken note of the report of the three-member mediation panel, headed by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, that the mediation proceedings, which went on for about four months, have not resulted in any final settlement.
The mediation panel, also comprising spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu, had said in its report submitted on Thursday that the Hindu and the Muslim parties have not been able to find a solution to the vexatious dispute.