On the fourth day of the hearing of Ram Janambhoomi -Babri Masjid dispute, senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan raised objection to the daily hearings in the case.
Dhawan, who is representing a Muslim party, said it will be difficult to prepare arguments in the case if the top court conducts hearings on all five working days in a week. “We don’t get time for preparation of arguments,” he said, adding that this was the beginning of the first appeal.
Terming the current set-up of hearings as “inhuman” and “practically impossible,” Dhawan said that the process “cannot go on like this.” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi who is heading the constitutional bench assured Dhawan that the apex court will look into his grievances and revert to him at the earliest.
The Supreme Court made an exception for hearing the contentious Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case, since on Mondays and Fridays the court hears fresh cases and cases coming after notice. Even a case which needs to be heard on emergency basis is heard in the afternoon session from 2 pm.
The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute involves 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, where a 16th Century mosque allegedly built by Mughal emperor Babur stood. In December 1992, the mosque was demolished by Hindu activists who believed that it was built on the ruins of a temple that marked the birthplace of Lord Ram. The incident sparked riots across the country leading to death of almost 2,000 people.