Supreme Court concludes hearing, reserves judgment in Ayodhya land dispute case

The Supreme Court of India (SC), on October 16, concluded hearing all arguments in the Ayodhya land dispute case and reserved its judgement in the matter.

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was hearing the case on the 40th day.

At the start of the proceedings, the bench said that for the last 39 days it is hearing the case and no more time beyond October 16 will be granted for parties to conclude their arguments.

"This matter is going to be finished today by 5.00 pm. Enough is enough," said the bench, which also comprises justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer.

The apex court had earlier said the hearing would be concluded on October 17. Now the deadline has been advanced by one more day.

The CJI is demitting office on November 17.

The bench also rejected a plea of a party seeking to intervene in the ongoing hearing and said no such interventions will be allowed now at this stage of proceedings.

Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, appearing for a Hindu party, has commenced his submission in response to a lawsuit filed by Sunni Waqf board in 1961 seeking title claim over the 2.7 acre disputed land at Ayodhya.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Meanwhile, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has issued an advisory on the coverage of the case, stating that there should be no speculation on the proceedings and that no footage of mosque demolition should be used. "Do not broadcast any celebrations. Ensure no extreme views are aired in debates," the advisory added.