The Supreme Court Thursday sought a report on the “progress of mediation” in the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya and said a day-to-day hearing may commence from July 25 if the court decides to conclude those proceedings.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief JusticeRanjan Gogoi requested former apex court judge Justice (Retd) F M I Kalifulla,chairperson of the three-member mediation panel, to apprise it by July 18 theprogress of mediation till date and its present stage.
“It will be convenient to have the said report latestby July 18, on which date further orders will be passed by this court,”said the bench, also comprising justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, AshokBhushan and S A Nazeer.
“We also make it clear that if this court comes to aconclusion that, having regard to the report of Justice F M I Kalifulla, themediation proceedings should be ordered to be concluded, the court will do soand order for commencement of the hearing of the appeals before it,tentatively, on and from July 25, which hearings, if required, will beconducted on day-to-day basis,” the bench said.
It passed the order while hearing an application filed by alegal heir of one of the original litigants, Gopal Singh Visharad, seeking ajudicial decision on the dispute and conclusion of the mediation process,alleging that nothing much was happening there.
“Taking into account the earlier orders passed by thiscourt; the fact that mediation was suggested by this court during the period oftime which was otherwise required to make cases/appeals ready for hearing andthe contents of I.A (interim appliction)…, we deem it proper to requestJustice F M I Kalifulla to inform this court the progress of mediation tilldate and the stage at which the said process is presently at,” the courtsaid and posted the matter for hearing on July 18 for passing appropriateorders.
The panel, also comprising spiritual guru and founder of theArt of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate and renownedmediator Sriram Panchu, was granted time till August 15 by the apex court forcompletion of mediation after its earlier report had said that the mediatorswere “optimistic” about an amicable solution.