New Delhi: It will be miraculous, if we are able to deliver a judgement in four weeks, said Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi as he asked the counsels of the Hindu and Muslim parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case to strictly abide by the October 18 deadline to wrap up their arguments.
A Constitution bench, comprising five judges headed by the Chief Justice, is holding daily hearings in the case in which the Hindu and Muslim parties are contesting each other’s claims seeking ownership of the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya.
Following a schedule to the hearings, the top court plans to hear most arguments in the case by October 4, and complete them finally by October 14 on reopening after the Dushehra holidays. It will thus have five days to meet the October 18 deadline to end the hearing in the case.
“We have 10-and-a-half days to conclude the arguments within the deadline,” said the Chief Justice emphasising the need for careful allocation of time to counsels of the parties involved in the matter.
Appearing for the Sunni Waqf Board, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan suggested continuing with the extended one-hour framework, and allocating Saturdays, to meet the deadline. The court said it cannot give a single extra day till October 18 for parties to complete their arguments in the cross-appeals.
Meanwhile, the Muslim parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case on Thursday said the authorship of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the disputed site in Ayodhya cannot be questioned.
The turnaround came a day after the Muslim parties questioned the report, especially its authorship, claiming that it was full of inconsistencies.
Putting forth his arguments on Thursday, their counsel Rajeev Dhavan said: “The authorship of the Archeological Survey of India report on Ayodhya cannot be questioned.”