SC to hear Ayodhya land dispute case on Feb 26

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 20

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will take up on February 26 the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute at Ayodhya.

Headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the Bench will commence hearing at 10.30 am, a notification issued by the Supreme Court Registry said on Wednesday.

Other four judges on the Bench are: Justice SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer.

The Constitution Bench would also hear the Centre's plea for permission to return 67.390-acre "non-disputed" land acquired by it in 1993 around the disputed to original owners and a fresh petition challenging the validity of a 1993 central law by which the government acquired 67.703 acre land, including the disputed premises.

The PV Narasimha Rao government had acquired 67.703 acre -- including the 2.77 acre -- through the Ayodhya Act in 1993. The acquisition was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1994 in Ismail Faruqui's case in which it had said if the Centre wanted to return the acquired land to its original owners it may do so. The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas was the owner of 42 acre of the non-disputed land before acquisition and it has sought return of excess land acquired.

Last month, the CJI had reconstituted the Constitution Bench after Justice UU Lalit's decision on January 10 to recuse from the case.