Ayodhya case: Mediation fails; SC to commence day-to-day hearing from August 6

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered day-to-day hearing from August 6 of the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case after noting that the mediation proceedings to resolve the dispute amicably have failed.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the report of the three member mediation panel, headed by former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, that its effort to find out an amicable resolution to the dispute have failed.

"We have received the report submitted by chairman of the committee, Justice Kalifulla. We have perused the same. Mediation proceedings have not resulted in any kind of final settlement, therefore, we have to proceed with the hearing of the appeal which will commence from August 6," said the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose.

The apex court said the parties in the matter should be ready to start the hearing on the appeals which are before it.

It also said that the office of the registry should keep all the material ready for the perusal of the court for the hearing of the matter on day-to-day basis.

"We make it clear that the hearing of the case will be on day-to-day basis until the arguments are concluded," the bench said.

The mediation panel in its report submitted on Thursday said that the Hindu and the Muslim parties have not been able to find a solution to the vexatious dispute.

After the bench passed the order, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for a Muslim party, raised several technical issues and said he will need 20 days to argue the various issues arising in the matter in detail and there should not be any curtailment on the hearing.

While he was raising different aspects of the matter and how the appeals have to be heard, the bench told him "don't remind us what we have to do".

"We know there are many aspects and we will deal with al these aspects. Let the hearing start," it said.

On August 6, the court will start hearings on the 14 appeals that have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.