Faizabad (UP): (PTI) Twenty-five litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land case Wednesday appeared before a Supreme Court-appointed panel as it began an attempt to resolve the dispute through mediation, officials said.
The litigants and their counsels – altogether over 50 people – met the three-member mediation panel on the Avadh University premises here. The Supreme Court has given the panel, led by former apex court judge F M I Kalifulla, eight weeks to explore the possibility of an amicable settlement over the disputed site in Ayodhya.
The panel members, who also include spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu arrived in Faizabad Tuesday and are expected to spend three days here. Uttar Pradesh Advocate General Raghvendra Singh and Additional Advocate General Madan Mohan Pandey also attended the meeting. Swami Avimukteshwaranand of the Ram Janmabhoomi Punruddhar Samiti, said the meeting began at 10 am with over 50 participants. The discussions were being held in a “harmonious” manner, he told PTI. Nirmohi Akhara’s Mahant Dinendra Das, Triloki Nath Pandey who is representing Ram Lalla Virajman, Mahant Dharam Das appearing for Ram Abhiram Das and Mahant Suresh Das of the Digambar Akhara were among the participants. Swami Chakrapani and Kamlesh Tiwari appeared at the meeting for the Hindu Mahasabha. Litigants Iqbal Ansari, Mohammad Umar and Haji Mahboob attended the meeting, where Maulana Ashhad Rashidi represented Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. Waseem Rizvi, who heads the UP Shia Waqf Board, and representatives from the Sunni Waqf Board also participated. (PTI)
