Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 31
Describing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute as one of the most important cases in the world, Chief Justice of India-designate SA Bobde on Thursday said there was no similar case heard by any other court anywhere else.
“I don’t know of a similar case heard by any other court anywhere else,” Justice Bobde—who is to take over as the 47th CJI on November 18 – told The Tribune.
Asked if he described Ayodhya land dispute as one of the most important cases in the world because of its magnitude or the length of hearing or the number of years it has been hanging fire at various levels in the judicial system, Justice Bobde said, “All these taken together.”
He, however, refused to elaborate further, saying, many of these issues were likely to be commented upon in the verdict.
Justice Bobde is part the five-judge Bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi which reserved its verdict on October 16 on 14 cross-appeals challenging the September 30, 2010 verdict of the Allahabad High Court equally dividing the 2.77 acre disputed land between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Muslims.
The verdict is expected by November 15 – the last working day of CJI Gogoi before he retires on November 17.
Asked if a judge’s personal convictions and belief could come in his way while deciding a case, Justice Bobde said, “They (judges) transcend all such considerations.”
On the eight-year delay in taking up the Ayodhya case by the Supreme Court, he said, “It was not deliberate…It could not be taken up because voluminous documents had to be translated into English and there were difficulties in constituting the Bench.”
Heard for 40 days, Ayodhya case is India’s second longest oral hearing in its history, the first being the historic Keswananda Bharti (1973) case which went on for 68 working days and led to propounding of the basic structure theory. Aadhaar Constitution Bench hearing went on for 38 days last year.
Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya thousands of years ago. During Mughal emperor Babur’s rule, a mosque was constructed at the place in 1528 after destroying the temples existing there, the Hindu parties contended. The Hindu parties have contended that Muslims have several places for offering namaz in Ayodhya. However, for Hindus the place of birth of Lord Ram remains the same and it can’t be changed.
On December 6, 1992, the disputed structure was demolished by Hindu activists and since then there exists a makeshift temple at the disputed site. Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti are facing trial in the demolition case.
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