Ravi Shankar Prasad cites Sabarimala case to seek fast-track hearing in Ayodhya title suit

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has appealed to the Supreme Court to fast-track the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit, stressing if it could happen in the Sabarimala issue, it can be done to resolve this long-pending matter as well. Inaugurating the 15th National Conference of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad in Lucknow on Monday, the Union minister said, “I appeal to the Supreme Court in my personal capacity to hear the Ram Janmabhoomi issue like fast-track court for prompt disposal of the case. When the Supreme Court can give its verdict on the Sabarimala Temple case promptly, why is the Ram Janmabhoomi issue pending for the past 70 years,” he said.

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Supreme Court Justice M R Shah, Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Govind Mathur were among others present at the event. “Why must we worship Babar,” Prasad asked. Citing a copy of the Constitution, he said, “There is a mention of Ram, Krishna as well as Akbar but there is no mention of Babar... But if we talk about such things in the country, a different kind of controversy is raised.”

The Union minister also talked about bringing an all-India judicial services system for appointment of judges in the future. He appealed to the members of the Adhivakta Parishad to ensure that the cases related to the poor and needy people were heard promptly.

The apex court is scheduled to take up a batch of petitions for hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case on January 4. The matter is listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul.

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The bench is likely to constitute a three-judge bench for hearing as many as 14 appeals filed against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, 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.