Ayodhya case expected to get concluded by 5 pm, says CJI Ranjan Gogoi

The Supreme Court while refusing to take any involvement application in the politically sensitive Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case on Wednesday said that the hearings in the case will conclude by 5 PM today.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, while rejecting the intervention application of the Hindu Maha Sabha, which is one of the parties in Ayodhya title dispute case, said, ”This matter is going to be over by 5 pm today. Enough is enough.”

Today is the 40th day of the hearing in the highly vexed case. The five-judge Constitution Bench headed by the CJI had earlier set the deadline to finish arguments on October 18. The bench later rescheduled it for October 17.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the CJI said that on Wednesday, 45 minutes will be given to advocate CS Vaidyanathan to argue for Hindu parties and 1 hour will be given to Muslim parties on rejoinder. The CJI also said that 4 slots of 45 min each will be given to all other Hindu parties to complete their arguments.

The dispute involves 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, which right-wing activists believe was the birthplace of Lord Ram. A 16th Century mosque said to have been built by the Mughal Emperor Babur which stood at the spot was razed in December 1992 by right-wing activists who believed that a temple had to make way for it. The destruction of the mosque sparked communal riots in the country.