After urging lawyers to finish arguments by October 18, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on Friday took the first step in the sprint to the finish line of the marathon Ayodhya appeals hearings by deciding to sit back after regular court hours on September 23.
Though the Bench wrapped up hearing by noon on Friday, the CJI informed lawyers that the judges would hear the case till 5 p.m. on the next date of hearing on Monday.
“We will take a 10-minute break before 4 pm and then sit till 5 p.m,” Chief Justice Gogoi addressed senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who is arguing for the Sunni Wakf Board.
The CJI, who heads the five-judge Bench, is scheduled to retire on November 17. If the hearings are completed by October 18, the court would have a month to write the judgment in the over 70-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute.
The apex court has also scheduled Constitution Bench hearings in a batch of petitions challenging the August 5 notification reading down Article 370 of the Constitution. That hearing is expected to start from the first week of October. It is not known whether any of the judges, including the CJI, would be a part of this Bench.
Published - September 20, 2019 10:01 pm IST
