All three mediators in Ayodhya dispute are from Tamil Nadu

The three mediators appointed by Supreme Court to resolve the Ayodhya dispute have a common thread -- all hail from Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court Friday referred the politically sensitive case for mediation and appointed retired apex court judge FMI Kalifulla as the head and senior advocate Sriram Panchu and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as two other members of the panel for the purpose.

Kalifulla hails from Karaikudi in Sivaganga district while Ravi Shankar was born in Papanasam near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district and Panchu is Chennai-based.


Kalifulla started his legal career from Tamil Nadu, before retiring as a Supreme Court judge in 2016.

He had delivered the landmark judgement for carrying out reforms in the Indian cricket board BCCI.

After enrolling as an advocate in 1975, Kalifulla had appeared for various public and private sector undertakings, nationalised and Scheduled Banks in his career.

He was appointed a Judge in the Madras High Court in 2000. After a 11-year stint here, he was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir High Court as its Chief Justice, from where he was elevated to the top court a year later.

At his farewell function in 2016, then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur had praised Justice Kalifulla for the historic verdict in which he was heading the bench with his brother judge, saying the outgoing judge provided valuable insights.

"While deciding the BCCI matter I felt like I was sitting besides a former Indian cricket captain. That much insight was provided by Kalifulla. He has so much insight into the working of BCCI. I am eternally grateful to him for helping me and the game as such in regaining its glory," Justice Thakur had said.

On Friday, Kalifulla said the SC-appointed committee will take every step to settle the Ramjanmaboomi-Babri Masjid dispute "amicably."

Panchu, a senior advocate of the Madras High Court, is a pioneer in the mediation movement.

Founder of the country's first court-annexed mediation centre -- The Mediation Chambers -- in the Madras High Court in 2005, he has authored books on mediation, including a comprehensive manual -- Mediation: Practice and Law.

Panchu has mediated a number of cases, including the one involving the boundary dispute between Assam and Nagaland.

"It is a very serious responsibility given to me by the Honourable Supreme Court. I will do my best," he said on the apex court nominating him as one of the mediators.

Sri Sri Ravishankar, according to his Bengaluru-based Art of Living foundation, was born to Visalakshi Ratnam and R S Venkat Ratnam in Papanasam.

He, however, shifted to Bengaluru early in life and graduated in Bachelor of Science from St Joseph's College.

The spiritual guru has been attempting mediation on the dispute for some time now, before the court chose him as part of the panel Friday.

On his being included in the panel, he said everybody must move together to end long-standing conflicts.

"Respecting everyone, turning dreams to reality, ending long-standing conflicts happily and maintaining harmony in society - we must all move together towards these goals. #ayodhyamediation," he tweeted.