THE Supreme Court after a short hearing today adjourned the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case for August 2, 2019 after taking into consideration the report submitted by the Mediation Committee headed by Justice F M I Kalifulla. The court chose not to bring the contents of the mediation panel report on record since the panel’s proceedings had been ordered to be confidential.
A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer, also directed the Committee to inform the court of the progress made in the mediation by July 31 so as to enable it to pass appropriate orders on the next date hearing on August 2, 2019.
Last week, one of the original plaintiffs in the case had mentioned the matter before the CJI claiming that no progress had been made in the mediation to settle the dispute. He had prayed for an early listing of the case. As a result, on July 11, 2019, the matter was listed for hearing when the court directed the mediation panel to submit a report indicating the progress made in settling the dispute. The court had also recorded the following in the order-
“We also make it clear that if this Court comes to a conclusion that, having regard to the report of Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla, the mediation proceedings should be ordered to be concluded, the Court will do so and order for commencement of the hearing of the appeals before it, tentatively, on and from 25th July 2019, which hearings, if required, will be conducted on a day-to-day basis.”
On March 8, 2019, the Supreme Court had referred the long-pending Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute case for mediation. The Court, after taking note of the names suggested by the parties, had constituted a three-member panel of mediators in the following composition
- Former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice F M Ibrahim Khaliifulah – Chairperson
- Founder of Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – Member
- Senior Advocate Sriram Panchu – Member
The mediators had been granted liberty by the Supreme Court to co-opt other members of the Panel, if so required.
The court had also said that mediation proceedings should be conducted with utmost confidentiality so as to ensure its success, which could only be safeguarded by directing that the proceedings and the views expressed therein by any of the parties, including the mediators should be kept confidential and not be revealed to any other person. Further, it said proceedings would be held in camera as per the norms applicable to the conduct of mediation proceedings.
The mediation proceedings are being held in Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Though there is no gag order, the court had empowered the panel members to pass necessary orders in writing, if required, to restrain publication of the details of the mediation proceedings.
