SC says Ayodhya case is purely land dispute
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The Supreme Court, DH file photo
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case is "purely a land dispute" and it would be decided in "one go" once final arguments are heard.
The court, for now, expressed its disinclination to conduct the hearing in the protracted case on a day-to-day basis.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer put the civil appeals arising out of the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment for consideration on March 14.
The court directed all the parties - Sunni Wakf Board, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, Ram Lalla Virajman and others - to complete the English translation of relevant documents, including the Ramayana, Ram Charit Manas and Bhagwad Gita, within two weeks.
The court refused to allow for now any intervention or impleadment applications, including the one filed by 32 eminent citizens.
"We will treat it as purely a land dispute. There are plaintiffs and defendants. Last time also, we said we are not permitting any intervention," the bench told senior advocate C U Singh, who sought to intervene in the matter saying the hearing would have international ramifications.
Representing the Muslims, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan urged the court to take up the matter on a day-to-day basis.
This was a change of stand by them as in the last hearing, they wanted the matter to be adjourned to July 2019.
"Over 700 poor litigants are waiting for justice. We have to also hear them," the bench observed, indicating to a large number of pending cases.
During the hearing, Dhavan submitted that there are several propositions. "The basic thing is the judgment of the high court hurts us," he said.
To this, additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, submitted that hyperbole must be avoided during the hearing.
A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among the three parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.