NEW DELHI: A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will begin hearing the Aydodhya land dispute case from January 10.

The bench will be headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, along with Justice SA Bobde, Justice NV Ramana, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice DY Chandrachud.

On September 29, the top court had rejected a plea by Muslim parties for reference of the pending appeal for adjudication before a five-judge bench and had ruled that a three-judge bench was competent to decide the land dispute.

A bench of then CJI Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, by 2-1 majority, had held that appeals against the Allahabad HC’s verdict on Ayodhya land dispute will be heard by a 3-judge bench. Justice Nazeer had leaned in favour of Ayodhya dispute being sent to a five-judge bench.

On October 29, the apex court had fixed the matter in the first week of January before the "appropriate bench" .

Last week on January 4, while hearing the matter, the Supreme Court had said that further orders will be passed on January 10 by the appropriate bench, as may be constituted.

As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Various Hindutva organisations have been demanding an ordinance on early construction of Ram temple at the disputed site.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested that any decision on an ordinance on Ram temple in Ayodhya can happen only after the completion of the judicial process.

PM Modi's comments had come amidst heightened demands by Hindutava organisations, including the RSS, for an ordinance for an early construction of the temple.

"Let the judicial process take its own course. Don't weigh it in political terms. Let the judicial process be over. After the judicial process is over, whatever be our responsibility as government, we are ready to make all efforts," the prime minister had said during an interview, broadcast by several TV channels.

(With inputs from agencies)



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