Ayodhya land dispute: Mediation panel to submit status report in sealed cover today

The mediation panel will submit its status report in a sealed cover on Thursday in compliance with the Supreme Court's earlier order. A Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, will hear the matter on August 2. 

The outcome of the mediation process undertaken by the three-member panel, headed by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla following the March 8 order, would be considered by a five judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Friday to decide the future course of action.

"We request the mediation panel to inform the court the outcome of the mediation proceedings as on July 31 by August 1 to enable us to proceed further in the matter in terms of the present directions," the bench, also comprising Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, had said.

The apex court had on July 11 sought a report on the mediation process and said that a day-to-day hearing will commence from July 25 if the court decides to conclude the mediation proceedings.

It had requested Justice Kalifulla to apprise it by July 18 of the progress of mediation till date and its present stage.

It had passed the order while hearing an application filed by a legal heir of one of the original litigants, Gopal Singh Visharad, seeking a judicial decision on the dispute and conclusion of the mediation process, alleging that not much was happening there.

The panel, also comprising spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu, was earlier granted time till August 15 by the apex court for completion of mediation after its earlier report had said that the mediators were "optimistic" about an amicable solution.

The top court had fixed the seat for the mediation process in Faizabad of Uttar Pradesh, around 7 km from Ayodhya, and said adequate arrangements, including those related to the venue of the mediation, place of stay of the mediators, their security and travel, should be arranged forthwith by the state government so that the proceedings could commence immediately.