Ayodhya case hearing to resume in October-end, Supreme Court refuses to refer 'namaz case' to Constitution Bench

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to refer to a five-judge Constitution bench the issue of reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam that arose during the hearing of Ayodhya land dispute.

The issue had cropped up when a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra was hearing the batch of appeals filed against the Allahabad High Court's 2010 verdict by which the disputed land on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid area was divided in three parts.

A three-judge bench of the high court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered that the 2.77 acres of land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. 

The top court directs that Faruqui decision was in context of acquisition of a mosque and are not relevant to deciding of a suit. The apex court has now fixed matters to be heard in the week commencing October 29.