Mahant Paramhans Das lauds SC for setting Oct 18 deadline for completion of Ayodhya hearing

Mahant Paramhans Das of the ascetic camp on Thursday expressed happiness over Supreme Court setting a deadline of October 18 for the conclusion of hearing in the Ayodhya case.

Speaking to ANI in Ayodhya, Das said, "I am very happy that the court has announced October 18 as the final date of the Ayodhya hearing. For the past many years, the judicature was not even able to fix the dates in this case. I am confident that the court will give judgment in the favour of Hindus. We are also chanting Hanuman Chalisa for the same."

"I am confident that Ram Temple will be built in Ayodhya under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it hoped hearings in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case would be concluded by 18 October, urging parties to stick to the schedule and conclude their arguments on time.

The judicature also announced that they were prepared to sit an hour extra every day and even on Saturdays to complete the hearing if needed.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi is set to demit office on November 17 and has to deliver the judgment before that as he had entirely heard the case from the beginning of the arguments.

The five-judge Constitution bench also said that the mediation process can go along simultaneously with the hearing, which is going on in the top court, and if an amicable settlement is reached through by it, the same can be filed before the court.

On Tuesday, the top court had asked parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute to come up with a tentative time schedule or date when the arguments can be concluded.

On the 25th day of the arguments, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked all parties to apprise it as to when their arguments are likely to be completed, hinting that the court can pronounce the judgment as submissions are over.

The top court is hearing a batch of petitions filed by -- Hindu and Muslim and others sides -- challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, which divided the disputed site into three equal parts.

The day-to-day hearing started on August 6 after a court-appointed mediation panel failed to resolve the dispute through amicable settlement.