New Delhi:
The verdict on the Ayodhya title suit has been deferred by at least five days by the Supreme Court. It was scheduled to be delivered tomorrow by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court will hear a plea before it again on Tuesday, September 28.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition by retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi, that the verdict be postponed because it could lead to communal violence. The verdict on the Ayodhya title suit will handle one of India's most divisive and sensitive issues - what came first at Ayodhya - the Babri Masjid or a temple for Lord Ram.
In the Supreme Court today, there was a difference of opinion between the two judges who heard Tripathi's petition. Justice HL Gokhale said, "Even if there is one per cent chance of reconciliation, it should be given...Consequences for ordinary people, but not for the petitioners...If there are consequences, people will blame the Supreme Court." (
Watch: Supreme Court may give a healing touch, says Petitioner's lawyer)
The court has issued notice to all parties in the Ayodhya case and to the Attorney General, which means that the Centre, which had hitherto not been a party to the case, can now put forth its views.
Tripathi has pleaded that the UP High Court verdict be put off till after the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi early next month. Tripathi has also been pressing that the Ayodhya matter be settled through reconciliation, while other parties in the suit have said there is no chance anymore of a compromise. (
Read:Lucknow schools, colleges close ahead of Ayodhya verdict)
The other parties in the case have dismissed Tripathi as a "frivolous" petitioner.
A three-judge Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had rejected 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. (
Read: Ayodhya verdict: Chidambaram's peace appeal)
All eyes are on whether there will be a verdict by the end of this month. This because one of the High Court judges hearing the case in Lucknow retires then. If the verdict is not delivered before September 30, the entire trial may have to be conducted again. The Supreme Court took this into account before fixing its next date of hearing for deferment to September 28. (
Watch: Respect Supreme Court decision, says Janardan Dwivedi)
There are massive security arrangements for the verdict. The government has appealed repeatedly to the public to keep the peace, stressing that this verdict is just one step in a variety of legal options available to those involved with the case. (
Read: High security ahead of Ayodhya verdict)