Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case: SC to decide on early hearing

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will take a decision on the early hearing of a batch of petitions including cross-appeals in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case. The SC bench said this when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who is one of the petitioners, mentioned the matter for urgent listing and hearing. “We will take a decision on it,” a PTI report quoted the bench, comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud, as saying. Based on the chargesheet filed by the CBI on October 8, 1993, the special CBI court had on May 31 charged BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh and others with criminal conspiracy. According to the 54-page chargesheet, these BJP leaders allegedly expressed their intention of constructing a temple publicly by way of political speeches over a highly disputed land since the 1950s. The apex court on April 19 this year restored the conspiracy charges against the BJP leaders which were dropped by a trial court in 2001 and directed to conclude the case within two years. The verdict of the same was upheld in the Allahabad High Court in 2010. After reopening the matter, all were granted bail by the CBI special judge SK Yadav on a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 and were charged with criminal conspiracy thereafter. In February 2013, the Supreme Court reiterated to maintain a status quo on the 67.703-acre disputed property put in 2011 by the apex court on the “strange” judgment passed by the Allahabad High Court in 2010. Dividing the 67.703-acre disputed land into three parts  among the Hindus, the Muslims and the Nirmohi Akhara, an organised group of sadhus, the Allahabad High Court’s judgment was overruled by the Supreme Court in 2011. Following the direction to maintain a status quo in 2011, the Supreme Court further directed that the disputed land shall not observe any religious activities except “pujas” at the makeshift Ram Lala temple. Restoring the case, the apex court directed the Lucknow bench to hear the case on an everyday basis and asked , the CBI to bring in witnesses everyday for a speedy trial.