Ayodhya verdict: What happens if CJI led Bench can’t complete hearing by Nov 17

New Delhi, Sep 19: The Supreme Court said that it hopes to complete hearing in the Ayodhya case by October 18, 2019.

While the observation was made on the estimates given by the parties, it is a well-known fact that legal issues several times have twists and turns and tend to drag on.

If the hearing is completed by October 18, then the Bench will have a month's time to write the verdict.

The verdict would have to be delivered by November 17, 2019, as Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, heading the Bench retires on that day. The question is what if the hearing is not completed in the stipulated time. What if it drags on until November and the Bench is unable to complete it.

If the Bench is unable to complete the hearing and cannot deliver the verdict by November 17, the day the CJI retires, it would then have to be referred to another Bench.

Can the newly constituted Bench continue from where the previous Bench left off. No. The entire matter would need to be heard afresh before the verdict is delivered.

The court said that if the parties desire to settle the dispute through the SC appointed mediation panel, then they are free to do so. Since the hearing is at an advanced stage, it will continue in the SC, the Bench also said.

The court further said that while the hearing will go on, the mediation panel can go ahead with negotiations and if a settlement is reached, the same could be filed in the Supreme Court.

Further, the court also told the parties to address the court on issues of how to mould the relief. The Allahabad High Court had divided the disputed land into three equal parts and allowed one part each to the deity Ram Lalla, Nimrohi Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board.