Ayodhya mediation panel wants to resume negotiations, moves Supreme Court

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE three-member Ayodhya mediation panel moved a memorandum before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi to seek directions to resume settlement talks in the Ramjambhoomi – Babri Masjid land dispute case.

The panel headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice FM Kalifulla, approached the apex court after requests were made to it by Nirvani Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board – parties to the case. The panel has clarified that the parties are not seeking to stop the court proceedings.

On March 8, a constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by CJI Gogoi had referred the Ramjambhoomi – Babri Masjid land dispute matter to mediation.

The court asked the three-member mediation panel, comprising former Supreme Court Judge FM Kalifulla, spiritual leader and Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate SriramPanchu, to make efforts to reach an amicable settlement in eight weeks.

The court directed the mediation to be held at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh. The mediation proceedings were held in-camera and with the utmost confidentiality.

The Supreme Court had later extended the deadline for mediation talks and asked the panel to submit its report on progress in negotiation talks by August 15.

However, Rajendra Singh survivor of Gopal Singh Visharad, an original claimant who filed a title suit in 1950, moved an application before the apex court claiming that the mediation panel was making no progress. He asked the court to commence the long-pending hearing of the appeals in the Ramjambhoomi – Babri Masjid land dispute case.

On August 3, the court declared the mediation had failed after the three-member mediation panel finally reported the court that the mediation talks are not making any progress.

The court then also declared that the day-to-day proceedings in the Ramjambhoomi – Babri Masjid land dispute case will begin from August 6. The matter is being heard by a constitution bench comprising Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan, and S Abdul Nazeer, which is headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi.