Supreme Court likely to fix schedule for Ayodhya hearing on January 10
Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN | Jan 5, 2019, 01:37 ISTHighlights
- A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said, “Further orders in the matter will be passed on January 10 by the appropriate bench, as may be constituted"
- It is likely that two judges of the previous SC bench — Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer — would be part of the new three-judge bench on the Ayodhya land dispute case
The Supreme Court will likely fix the schedule for hearing the Ayodhya case on January 10. (AP)NEW DELHI: The 70-year-old politically sensitive litigation between Hindu and Muslim parties for ownership of the 2.77-acre Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land moved towards final adjudication as the Supreme Court indicated on Friday that a schedule for hearing could likely be fixed on January 10.
In an anti-climax to the build-up before Friday’s hearing, for which lawyers, visitors and journalists thronged court number one in large numbers anticipating an order of significance, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul took less than 30 seconds to dictate: “Further orders in the matter will be passed on January 10 by the appropriate bench, as may be constituted.”
However, the CJI-led two-judge bench on Friday could not have fixed a schedule for hearing as the SC in its September 29 judgment had rejected a demand by Muslim parties for reference of the pending appeals for adjudication before a five-judge bench and ruled that a three-judge bench was competent to decide the land dispute.
This means CJI Ranjan Gogoi will set up a three-judge bench for hearing the case on January 10.
Two judges who heard temple case will be part of new bench
It is likely that two judges of the previous SC bench — Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer — would be part of the new three-judge bench on the Ayodhya land dispute case. The other judge of the erstwhile bench, which gave the September 29 verdict — then CJI Dipak Misra — has since retired. It is unclear whether CJI Gogoi would himself fill the vacancy, or draft in another judge or constitute afresh a three-judge bench on January 10.
On September 29, a bench of then CJI Misra and Justices Bhushan and Nazeer, by a 2-1 majority, had held that appeals against the Allahabad HC’s verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute will be heard by a three-judge bench. Justice Nazeer had leaned in favour of the Ayodhya dispute being sent to a five-judge bench.
There are 16 appeals and petitions by Hindu and Muslim parties challenging the Allahabad HC’s October 2010 verdict, which divided 2.77 acres of Ayodhya land equally between idol Ram Lalla, the Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.
In an anti-climax to the build-up before Friday’s hearing, for which lawyers, visitors and journalists thronged court number one in large numbers anticipating an order of significance, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul took less than 30 seconds to dictate: “Further orders in the matter will be passed on January 10 by the appropriate bench, as may be constituted.”
However, the CJI-led two-judge bench on Friday could not have fixed a schedule for hearing as the SC in its September 29 judgment had rejected a demand by Muslim parties for reference of the pending appeals for adjudication before a five-judge bench and ruled that a three-judge bench was competent to decide the land dispute.
This means CJI Ranjan Gogoi will set up a three-judge bench for hearing the case on January 10.
Two judges who heard temple case will be part of new bench
It is likely that two judges of the previous SC bench — Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer — would be part of the new three-judge bench on the Ayodhya land dispute case. The other judge of the erstwhile bench, which gave the September 29 verdict — then CJI Dipak Misra — has since retired. It is unclear whether CJI Gogoi would himself fill the vacancy, or draft in another judge or constitute afresh a three-judge bench on January 10.
On September 29, a bench of then CJI Misra and Justices Bhushan and Nazeer, by a 2-1 majority, had held that appeals against the Allahabad HC’s verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute will be heard by a three-judge bench. Justice Nazeer had leaned in favour of the Ayodhya dispute being sent to a five-judge bench.
There are 16 appeals and petitions by Hindu and Muslim parties challenging the Allahabad HC’s October 2010 verdict, which divided 2.77 acres of Ayodhya land equally between idol Ram Lalla, the Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.
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