Ayodhya case: Supreme Court hears parties on mediation, says it cannot undo the past

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on whether the case should be referred to court-monitored mediation in search of a lasting settlement. On February 26, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had suggested that an amicable solution might be found through mediation and said it would pass an order on March 6.

What was said in court

• Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for a group of Muslim parties, said they were agreeable to mediation and that any settlement would bind the parties. He asked the bench to set terms for it.
• Justice SA Bobde said there could be a panel of mediators rather than a single one, and that while mediation was under way it should not be reported on. He said the dispute was not merely about property but about sentiment, faith and healing relationships. “We have no control over what happened previously,” he said, adding that the court was concerned with settling the present dispute.
• When one lawyer objected that the public would not accept a compromise even if the parties did, Justice Bobde said mediation did not mean that one side would lose and the other win.
• The Hindu Mahasabha opposed the move, saying formal and public notice must be issued before any mediation, and maintained that the property belonged to it and that mediation would fail.

Background

When the idea was first raised, the Muslim side and the Nirmohi Akhara agreed to mediation, while counsel for Ram Lalla Virajman, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and Mahant Suresh Das argued that earlier attempts had failed. Justice Bobde had said that even a one per cent chance should be explored.

The appeals challenge a 2010 Allahabad High Court ruling that split the disputed 2.77 acres equally among the three main parties. In January the Centre asked for 67 acres of undisputed land to be handed back to its original owners. The Babri Masjid stood on 0.313 acres within the disputed area and was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.

What happened next

The Supreme Court delivered its Ayodhya judgment on 9 November 2019, and the Ram temple in Ayodhya was consecrated on 22 January 2024.

See also: more news

Originally published on 6 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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