The Supreme Court has sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on the request of a special judge holding trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case who had moved the apex court seeking six months more time to conclude trial in the case.

The judge is due to retire on September 30 but he says he needs at least 6 months more to conclude the trial. SC observes it wants the judge to deliver the judgment finally. The next hearing has been fixed for Friday. The judge is adjudicating the Babri Masjid demolition case involving BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi and others.

The matter came up for hearing on Monday before a bench headed by Justice R F Nariman, which asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it by July 19 about a mechanism by which the tenure of the special judge could be extended till he delivers the verdict in the high profile case.

On April 19, 2017, the top court had ordered day-to-day trial to be concluded in two years in the case.

—India Legal Bureau