Will Ayodhya dispute be solved through mediation: SC verdict today

New Delhi, Mar 08: The Supreme Court will pronounce verdict on Friday whether to send the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for court appointed and monitored mediation for a "permanent solution".

Hindus and Muslims have been warring for the land on which the now demolished Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi structure once stood for long now.

A five-Judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved the verdict on referring the matter for mediation on Wednesday.

During the course of the hearing on Wednesday, the apex court said it was aware of the gravity of the case and the outcome of mediation on the body politic of the country.

"It is not only about property. It is about mind, heart and healing, if possible. We are not concerned about what Mughal ruler Babur had done, and what happened after. We can go into what exists in the present moment," said the five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and comprising Justices S.A. Bobde, D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S.A. Nazeer.

The development is significant as it comes just weeks ahead of national elections due by May.

The Allahabad High Court had in 2010 carved up the land in the ration of 2:1 between the Hindus and the Muslims. Both sides have challenged the ruling. It has been pending in the top court ever since.

The Hindu parties to the case the Nirmohi Akhara, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and the All India Hindu Mahasabha have all expressed their opposition to mediation.