Supreme Court to decide on mediation in Ayodhya title dispute

The Supreme Court was expected to rule on Friday on whether the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute should be referred to court-appointed mediation. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, with Justices SA Nazeer, Ashok Bhushan, DY Chandrachud and SA Bobde as the other members, was to assemble at 10.30am to deliver the order.

Where the parties stand

The court reserved its order on Wednesday after hearing both sides on trying mediation as an alternative to litigation in the decades-old dispute. The Uttar Pradesh government and the Hindu parties, except the Nirmohi Akhara, opposed the idea, while the Muslim side welcomed it. Many Hindu parties argued that mediation would only delay the case and that earlier attempts had failed.

The court asked all sides to suggest names of possible mediators and assured them that the process would remain confidential until a decision was reached.

The case

The bench is hearing appeals against a 2010 Allahabad High Court ruling that divided the 2.77-acre site three ways: between Ram Lalla (the infant deity), the Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Central Waqf Board. It is also considering a plea from the Centre to return 67.7 acres acquired in 1993 around the site, apart from the small plot on which the disputed structure stood, to their original owners. The judges first raised mediation at a hearing on February 26.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the judges asked lawyers to show restraint and not argue about history. Justice Bobde said the court could not change the past and could only deal with the present dispute. Justice Chandrachud raised doubts about whether mediation could bind everyone, since the dispute had become one between two communities rather than two parties.

The order carries political weight because it comes weeks before the general election. If the dispute is sent to mediation, the outcome is likely to be known only after the polls.

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 8 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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