Ayodhya dispute: Supreme Court rejects Rajeev Dhavan’s request against daily hearing

The Supreme Court has made it clear that the hearing in the Ayodhya dispute case will continue on a day to day basis, as was directed by the Court in its earlier order..This clarification from the Court came at the end of the hearing today in response to an objection raised by Senior Counsel Rajeev Dhavan as regards the daily hearings in the case, including on Mondays and Fridays, which are supposed to be miscellaneous days..Dhavan, who is representing one of the Muslim parties in the case, had said that this would amount to rushing through the hearing and would leave the Counsel not enough time to prepare for the hearing. To this, the Court said that it can give a mid-week break to Dhavan when he begins his arguments, should he require one..However, Dhavan’s request against daily hearing in the case stands rejected by the Court. The Constitution Bench will next assemble on Tuesday, August 13 when the arguments in the case will continue..In breaking away from the trend, the five-Judge Constitution Bench has taken up the high profile Ayodhya case for hearing on Friday which is a miscellaneous day. Normally Mondays and Fridays are miscellaneous days when the Court takes up fresh matters for admission and after notice cases. Final hearing case like the Ayodhya case are taken up for hearing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays which are non-miscellaneous days..This move appears to be taken to ensure that the hearing in the case is complete before CJI Ranjan Gogoi superannuates on November 17 this year. However, owing to the same, the Supreme Court, despite functioning at full strength is short of three Benches today. Each Bench normally takes up between 50 and 60 fresh cases for hearing on every miscellaneous day..The Court had earlier directed that the case be heard on a day to day basis after the report of the mediation panel suggested that no solution could be arrived at. The final hearing in the case began on Tuesday, August 6. Today marked the fourth day of the hearing.