Don't defer Ayodhya verdict: Hindu group to HC

Lucknow: Allahabad High Court is poised to make another attempt to settle the Ayodhya title suits through a compromise on Friday but one of the parties to the 60-year-old case moved the court on Thursday, objecting to any deferment of the verdict slated to be pronounced on September 24.

Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), through its counsel HS Jain, on Thursday filed an objection before the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court against any deferment of the verdict on the title suits to be pronounced by the special bench on September 24, Mahasabha sources said.

It would be placed before the court along with the application seeking deferment on Friday, they said.

Citing apprehension of breach of peace and the upcoming Commonwealth Games, two separate applications seeking directions for deferring the verdict were moved before the Allahabad High Court on September 13.

Jain in his application has stated that a similar attempt had been made by the court on July 27 for reaching an amicable settlement but no one had appeared on behalf of Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, a defendant in suit no. 4, whose counsel had later sought deferment and efforts towards a reconciliation.

"It appears that the present application (for deferment) has been filed at the behest of some disgruntled persons who do not believe in the majesty of law for their personal gains and are trying to create every hindrance in the delivery of judgement as scheduled," Jain said in the application, claiming that it was a "proxy" application.

Taking cognizance of the application of Ramesh Chandra Tripathi on September 13, one of the three judges related to the case, Justice DV Sharma, had directed all the counsel of the parties concerned to appear before the bench to resolve the dispute amicably through reconciliation on September 17.

Justice D V Sharma had also observed in his order: "Thus before delivery of judgement by this court, to my mind, every endeavour has to be made to settle the dispute as per the prayer made by the applicant, Tripathi and with hope that if the matter is settled through compromise then it shall be in the interest of everyone".