Ayodhya Case: Supreme Court To Deliberate Over 'Settlement Plan' Behind Closed Doors Today

Day after conclusion of the final arguments in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case, the Supreme Court will deliberate on the mediation panel’s proposed ‘settlement plan’ behind closed doors today. The Supreme Court Bench is likely to consult about the way forward as the nation waits for the key verdict, which is likely to come in November next month. With Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi retiring on November 17, the Ayodhya judgment is likely to be pronounced before that. One of the major points of the top court’s deliberation would by the Sunni Waqf Board’s offer to give up its claim on the disputed site in lieu of some other deal.

As reported by News Nation on Wednesday, the Sunni Waqf Board has said that it is ready to withdraw its claim over the land if the disputed site is taken over by the Central government. Though other Muslim parties differ from the Sunni Waqf Board, others that are in favour of the settlement plan include Nirvani Akhada, Nirmohi Akhada, Ram Janmabhoomi Punruddhar Samiti and some other Hindu parties.

According to PTI, the parties have sought settlement under the provisions of The Places of Worship Act, 1991 which provides that no dispute with regard to any mosque or other religious places, which have been constructed after demolition of temples and are existing as in 1947, would be raised in a court of law. The Act, however, excludes the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute from its purview.

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The day-to-day hearings in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case began in the Supreme Court on August 7 with the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu religious denomination, claiming Muslims had not prayed at the disputed site in Ayodhya since 1934. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, and comprising justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, started hearing the matter. The Allahabad High Court, in its judgment of 2010 on four civil lawsuits, had partitioned the 2.77-acre disputed land equally among Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the Supreme Court against the verdict. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid, constructed at the disputed site in the 16th century by Shia Muslim Mir Baqi, was demolished.