By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In an unprecedented move this afternoon, the Supreme Court has stayed the verdict on Babri Masjid- Ram Janm Bhoomi title suit, which was scheduled to be delivered tomorrow by the High Court in Lucknow.
The plea to defer the HC verdict as it might lead to communal violence was filed in the SC by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi earlier this week.
Interestingly, Mr. Tripathi’s petition for deferring the verdict and to allow mediation to find a solution to the 60-year-old Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit dispute was rejected few days back by a three-judge Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
Now the SC will hear the deferment plea again on 28th of September. It means that there won’t be any verdict by the Allahabad HC tomorrow on this issue.
According to reports, while hearing the deferment plea, there was a disagreement between Justices HL Gokhle and RV Raveendran, who form the two member SC bench.
While Justice RV Raveendran wanted the plea to be dismissed, Justice HL Gokhle favored deferment.
Ironically, lawyer of Sunni Wakf Board as well as that of Ram Deity, were united on the arguments for the petition to be dismissed on the grounds that the petitioner is not a serious party of the case.
Ravi Shankar Prasad argued before the court that Mr. Tripathi’s petition should be dismissed as he had hardly attended the proceedings of the case.
But Justice Gokhle observed that even if there is 1% chance of reconciliation, it should be given a chance. Finding some merit in the points made by the petitioner, Justice Gokhle further observed that, if there are some consequences of this verdict, they will be faced by ordinary people and not the petitioners; and in that case people will blame the Supreme Court.
Although accepting the verdict of the highest court of the land, both the parties in the title suit were apparently disappointed by the deferment. They categorically denied any possibility of reconciliation at this stage.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Zafar Yab Jilani, lawyer of Sunni Wakf Board said that, “We respect the judgment of the Supreme Court but at this stage there is indeed no possibility of reaching any out of court settlement.”
Ravi Shankar Prasad, lawyer of one of the respondents, told media that he doesn’t see any chance of reconciliation in this case now.
More importantly one of the judges of the 3 members’ bench of Allahabad HC is due to retire on October 1st and it is yet to be seen whether there would be more delays in this case.
Interestingly, the Central government which is not a party in the title suit yet, has been invited by the SC on 28th September. A notice has been issued to the Attorney General that he too can come and put forth the central government’s views on this issue.
Besides, notices have also been issued to all the respondents in this case to be present on 28th of September. The Congress party meanwhile has welcomed the deferment of the verdict. Janardan Dwivedi, spokesperson of the party, told the press that the party welcomes the SC judgment as it has always favored peaceful and amicable solution of the Babri title suit.