Will cooperate in mediation: AIMPLB's Zafaryab Jilani

March 08, 2019 12:02

First reactions from Zafaryab Jilani, AIMPLB member and convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee on the SC order on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Speaking to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Jilani said, "If the Supreme Court wants the issue to be resolved through mediation then we will speak at the mediation council.

"This is the first time that the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is being court monitored. Earlier in the High Court (Allahabad) parties were called in the chamber (of the judges) and spoke to parties but there was no court mediation," he added.

A three-judge bench of Justice SU Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice DV Sharma had delivered the 2010 verdict awarding two-thirds of the Ayodhya site to the Hindu parties and one-third to the Waqf Board.

Asked if he was hopeful that the issue will be resolved through mediation, Jilani said, I will not comment as it is against the confidentiality (clause) of the court."

Jilani also declined to comment on the appointment of Art of Living Foundation's Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as one of the three mediators in the case.

He said the the resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute has not dragged on. "The court has given eight weeks for mediation and the issue will be dealt with within this period. We have already said that we will cooperate in the mediation. Now, whatever we have to say, we will say it to the mediation panel, not outside."

The Supreme Court Friday referred the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for mediation and appointed former apex court judge Justice (retd) F M I Kallifulla as chairperson of the panel of mediators.

A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the other members of the panel will be spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu. The bench directed that the mediation will be held at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and the process should start within a week from Friday.

The bench also comprising justices S A Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer said the panel of mediators will file a progress report of the mediator proceedings within four weeks and the process should be completed within eight weeks. The apex court said that "utmost confidentiality" should be maintained to ensure success of mediation and neither print nor electronic media should report the proceedings.

The bench also directed that panel of mediators can co-opt more members in the team and in case of any difficulty the chairman will inform the apex court registry about it.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. -- PTI

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