No talks with Subramanian Swamy sans SC direction: Babri panel

LUCKNOW: The Supreme Court's initiative to find an amicable solution to the Ayodhya issue seems to have hit a roadblock with Babri Masjid Action Committee refusing to talk to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in the absence of a written direction from the SC.

On Tuesday , SC had asked Swamy to talk to all parties and renew his request for early hearing of petitions on the dispute on March 31.

BMAC convener Zafaryab Jilani said the entire premise of an “out-of-court“ settlement was based merely on what Swamy had said.“In the absence of any written order from SC, there is no ground to talk of any negotiation for amicable settlement as we don't know what the court had actually said,“ Jilani, who also represents litigants from the Muslim side in the case, said.

Jilani said in the absence of a court directive, Swamy's statement had no legal sanctity. He emphasised that under Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the court can refer the case for an amicable solution addressing the parties involved and there was no need for Swamy's intervention as he is not a party to the case.

This is not the first time that an out-of-court settlement on the issue has been initiated by a court. Barely two months before the Allahabad HC pronounced its September 2010 judgment on the case, it advised all parties to look for an amicable solution. “Later, the HC verdict said there was no scope of an out-of-court settlement,“ Jilani said.