Mumbai, September 23: In a significant decision, the Supreme Court has deferred the much awaited verdict on Ayodhya/Babri Masjid by one week.
Hearing a deferment plea, the apex court stayed the September 24 Allahabad High Court Ayodhya Verdict.
A retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday after the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court dismissed his reconciliation plea and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.
The Supreme Court has fixed September 28 for the next hearing.
Speaking to the media persons, senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, said that it was a final attempt by the apex court to find out an amicable solution to the dispute. Rohatgi said that the court stayed the Allahabad High Court Ayodhya verdict, which was scheduled for pronounced on September 24 at 3.30 pm.
He said that the apex court considered the dissent of one judge of three bench Allahabad High Court judges.
According to legal experts this deferment effectively means that the matter has deferred for 3-4 months. As the Judge Gokhale observed that even if there is a possibilities of one percent of negotiated settlement we should give it a chance.
Earlier, the Supreme Court on Wednesday admitted a plea, seeking deferment of the Lucknow special bench of Allahabad High Court verdict on the Babri Masjid/Ramnjamnabhoomi dispute in Ayodhya.
A retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chandra Tripathi had knocked the door of apex court after the Allahabad High court dismissed his reconciliation plea and imposed fine of Rs 50000.
Admitting the plea, the apex court bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and A.K. Patnaik had asked counsel Sunil K. Jain to list the case for Thursday afternoon hearing.
Ramesh Chandra Tripathi has sought amicable solution to the dispute in his plea and requested the court to defer the Babri Masjid verdict till Commonwealth Games (CWG) are over.
The Ayodhya Bench of Allahabad High Court is scheduled to pronounce the verdict in decade-long dispute on September 24.
—Agencies