HC's bid to reach Ayodhya solution

LUCKNOW: In a significant development, the Allahabad high court, ahead of the September 24 judgment on the Ayodhya title suit, invited the counsels of the two contesting parties to appear before it on September 17 to try and reach a solution through mediation.
Effectively, this is the last opportunity before the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and Sunni Central Board of Waqf to sit across the table for talks to settle the dispute amicably.The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court was reacting to an application moved on Monday by a contesting party, Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit, requesting the court to direct both the parties to settle the matter through mediation, conciliation or arbitration.
Tripathi, defendant number 17 in the suit titled ‘Sunni Central Board of Waqf versus Gopal Singh and others', has pleaded that the issue involves larger national interest and therefore "it would be in the interest of the whole nation that the two sides decide the most controversial issue of Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri mosque by mutual talks."
The application, which was filed under section 89 of the civil procedure code, also seeks authority from the July 27 order of the special full bench comprising Justice SU Khan, Justice Sudhir Agrawal and Justice DV Sharma, which had advised the parties that "until delivery of judgment, the parties are at complete liberty to contact the officer on special duty (OSD) for formation of bench in case some possibility of compromise emerges".
The civil procedure code (CPC) provides that the court must devise each and every possibility as to whether the warring parties could come to an amicable settlement.
One of the three judges of the full bench said that every endeavour must be made to settle the dispute before the judgment is delivered. The bench would be constituted on September 17 afternoon and the counsel of both the sides will be informed by OSD HS Dubey about the court order.