Ram Mandir: Day-to-day hearing in Supreme Court if matter cannot be resolved by Mediation

The Supreme Court today directed the mediation panel set up to settle the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute to submit a report detailing the progress of the mediation by next Thursday..The Court further stated that if it concludes, based on the report of the Mediation Committee, that the mediation should be wound up, it would order so. In that case, it will also pass an order to commence the hearing of appeals before it tentatively on and from July 25. The appeals shall be heard on day-to-day basis, if required, the Court further clarified..“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 day-to-day basis.”.The matter will now be heard on July 18 when the Justice FMI Kalifulla, who heads the mediation committee, is expected to submit his report on the progress of the mediation..On Tuesday, one of the original plaintiffs in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case had mentioned the matter, claiming that no progress has been made in the mediation ordered by the Court to settle the issue. He had, therefore, sought an early listing of the case. The case is otherwise slated to be heard after August 15..The Bench agreed to hear the application filed for early hearing of the case today..The matter was heard by a Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer..Today, Senior Advocate K Parasaran, appearing for the applicant, sought fixing of a early hearing in the case. However, Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for the Muslim parties, opposed the same. He said,.“This is not the time to criticise mediation committee. Just because one party has got fed up with mediation process, does not mean that the party can come to this court to override this Court’s order.”.He further said that while the Court can stop the mediation by itself, it was not proper for one of the parties to approach the Court seeking to scrap the entire process..The Bench ultimately passed an order directing former Supreme Court judge, Justice FMI Kalifulla, who is chairing the panel, to submit a progress report by next Thursday..On March 8, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had referred the long-standing Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute for mediation. The mediation panel is being chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice FMI Kalifulla and also comprises spiritualist Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Senior Advocate Sriram Panchu..The Court had further ordered that the mediation proceedings shall be kept confidential and that there ought not to be any reporting of the said proceedings either in the print or in the electronic media..The mediators were empowered to pass specific written orders in this regard to restrain publication of details of mediation proceedings..A status report regarding the progress of the mediation was required to be submitted within four weeks..In May, the Court, however, extended the deadline given to the Mediation Committee allowed it to complete the process by August 15..[Read Order]