Retracting its willingness to back an out-of-court settlement to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the Supreme Court on Friday said it had no knowledge that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was not a party to the dispute in the title suit pending in the court. On March 21, on a mentioning by Swamy, the court had said it could mediate in the matter if the BJP leader could bring both the warring factions of the dispute on the negotiation table.
The sudden turnaround of the court came as a surprise to Swamy, who claimed that on the earlier date when the court asked him to consult the parties, he had approached then in the capacity of an intervenor wanting an early disposal of the long-standing dispute so that a temple could be built at the birthplace of lord Ram. He had requested for fixing an early date to hear the title suit pending between the Sunni Central Waqf Board and Hindu Mahasabha.
The Bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said, “We did not know you are not a party to this case. We came to learn of it from the media reports.”
Swamy clarified that he was not interested in the property but his interest was common as his faith was being affected by the prevailing dispute. The counsels for other parties present in the court added that Swamy’s application has not been allowed till date.
The Bench refused to entertain Swamy’s request for early hearing as well. “We have no date. You can sit with the other side and decide on a date for mentioning,” added the Bench, extinguishing, as of now, any chances of an out-of-court settlement to the suit pending since 1961.
The Allahabad High Court in 2010 divided the property three ways between the Sunni Central Waqf Board, Hindu Mahasabha, and Nirmohi Akhara.