‘Enough is enough’: CJI Ranjan Gogoi says Ayodhya hearing to end at 5 pm

The Constitution bench has heard the arguments for 39 days, today is the 40th day of hearing. It is the second-longest oral hearing in history by the court’s constitution bench.

Arguments in the contentious Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in Ayodhya will end at 5 pm, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said on Wednesday, refusing to accept an intervention application at this late stage.

Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi (PTI file photo)

“By 5 pm, this matter is going to be over… Enough is enough,” Chief Justice Gogoi, who heads the five-judge Constitution bench said soon after Wednesday’s hearing in the decades-old land dispute resumed.

The Constitution bench has heard the arguments for 39 days, today is the 40th day of hearing. It is the second-longest oral hearing in history by the court’s constitution bench. The longest is the 1972 Kesavananda Bharati case in which a bench of 13 judges ruled on Parliament’s powers. That hearing continued for 68 days.

A large section of Hindus believes the 16th century mosque, Babri Masjid, was built over a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram, whose birthplace is also considered to be at the site. The mosque was demolished by a mob of thousands in 1992, triggering a cycle of violence and riots across India.

The top court had earlier this year explored the possibility of mediation to resolve the long-pending dispute amicably. A three-member panel led by retired judge justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla and comprising Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu tried to work out a resolution but failed. The Constitution bench subsequently held daily hearings from August.