First hearing in Supreme Court on Ayodhya dispute case after it was referred to mediation panel: LIVE updates

A five judge Constitution bench will hear the Ayodhya dispute case and is likely to hear the report by the three-member mediation panel on Friday.

The Supreme Court on Thursday had issued an order which states that it will take up the matter on Friday. The matter will be heard by a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and also comprising Justices S.A. Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer.

The five-judge bench is likely to take up the report filed by the mediation panel in the Ayodhya matter. The eight-week deadline for the mediation talks culminated on May 3.

Notably, this is going to be the first hearing in the disputed Ayodhya land matter after the formation of mediation panel comprising of three mediators - retired Supreme Court Justice Kalifulla, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sriram Panchu.

BIG: Supreme Court To Take Up Mediation Panel's Report In Ayodhya Dispute Case On Friday. Read Notice Here

The Supreme Court had on March 8 ordered a time-bound 8-week mediation into the decades-old Ayodhya dispute, appointing the three-member panel and setting Faizabad as the location where the mediation would be held.  

On March 13, the top court-appointed mediators issued an order following the first day of their discussions with stakeholders at the Awadh university at Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

"The Committee brings to the notice of all concerned, the observation of the Honourable Supreme Court of India, which is to the following effect: We are also of the view that the mediation proceedings should be conducted with utmost confidentiality so as to ensure its success which can only be safeguarded by directing that the proceedings of mediation and the views expressed therein by any of the parties including the learned mediators shall be kept confidential and shall not be revealed to any other person," the report by the three mediators read.

Further, the three-member committee had also directed that there should not be any reporting of the mediation proceedings in the print or any other media.

The hearing in he Ayodhya case has begun. 

CJI Ranjan Gogoi has said that the report has been received from Ayodhya mediation committee and extension of time has been sought by the panel which the bench is inclined to grant.

CJI Gogoi has said that the Chairperson of the committee has sought time till August 15 to complete the mediation process; The 5-judge Supreme Court bench allows the for the same and has passed an order to that effect.