The Supreme Court on Thursday told the mediation panel to submit a detailed report by July 18.

At today’s hearing, the apex court was told by the parties that the court could start the hearing even if the meditation panel have not submitted the report.

Upon this, the apex court said: “We have set up a mediation panel. We will have to wait for a report. Let the mediators to submit a report on this.”

K Parasaran, senior advocate appearing for one of the applicants sought early hearing on the case.
He said: “Since mediation is unlikely to bring any positive results, so the court should give a date for a hearing in the case. A joint session was held but things are not working. Moreover the original plaintiff is already dead and it has been 69 years since this case is going on, hence the matter ought to be decided as early as possible.”

Senior advocate, Rajeev Dhavan appearing for one of the Muslim parties also pressed for early hearing in the case and said: “This is not the time to criticise mediation committee. What is the purpose of this application. Is it to intimidate us. We have some objections to things mentioned in the application.”

Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar appearing for one of the Hindu parties said that almost 69 years have been passed since this matter was filed and there have not been circumstances where both the parties can sit together and have a talk.

One of the plaintiffs in the Ramjanambhoomi–Babri Masjid title dispute case, Gopal Singh Visharad on Monday had approached the apex court asking for an early hearing into the matter.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi had told Visharad to file a necessary application for considering the case to be heard by it.

The Supreme Court on February 26 had deferred for another six weeks its decision on when to commence regular hearing in the case. However, in a surprise development, the five-judge constitution bench had also wondered if the dispute should be sent in for mediation one last time, by invoking Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP).

—India Legal Bureau 

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