By TCN staff reporter,
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for deferment of Allahabad High Court verdict on the Babri Masjid/Ramjanambhumi title suit. The ruling was delivered by a three-judge special bench comprising of Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, Justice Aftab Alam and Justice KS Radhakrishnan.
The impending Babri verdict was stayed by a two-judge Bench of Supreme Court on September 23, a day before the verdict was due to be announced by the Special Bench of Allahabad High Court in Lucknow.
With the rejection, the SC has cleared the way for the Allahabad HC to deliver its verdict in Ranmjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit. The court didn’t fix any date for the Allahabad HC to pronounce the much awaited verdict. Now the HC has two days to deliver the verdict.
Interestingly the CJI SH Kapadia read the one line unanimous order by the Bench that the petition was being dismissed.
After hearing the arguments for more than two hours and ten minutes, the three judge bench headed by CJI dismissed the deferment petition filed by ex-civil servant Ramesh Chandra Tripathi.
Arguing before the Bench Mukul Rahtogi, the petitioner’s counsel, pointed out the need for last effort for an out of court settlement which can be supervised by the Center, particularly in the context when the country is going through a troubled period.
But most of the parties except Nirmohi Akhara Court which wanted the verdict to be deferred, insisted that the Allahabad HC should be allowed to deliver the verdict in this historic case.
Soli J Sorabji, appearing on the behalf of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board argued that judicial pronouncements cant be held hostage to the consequences it might evoke.
The Attorney General argued that although the central government welcomes any out of court settlement but it doesn’t want the uncertainty to continue. The Govt had said yesterday also that that the parties should accept the court judgment if a settlement can’t be reached in this case.