SC may hear plea to defer Ayodhya ruling

NEW DELHI: With just a day left for the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court to deliver its verdict on the contentious issue of the title suits of the disputed site at Ayodhya , suspense over its outcome and anxiety over the possible fallout keeps rising.

The Supreme Court has kept open room for a possible hearing on Thursday on a plea seeking to defer the HC verdict. On Wednesday, the court was reluctant to take up the plea. But the rising level of anxiety led the Centre to clamp a 72-hour countrywide ban on bulk SMSs and MMSs.

With speculation over the HC verdict reaching fever pitch, Union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday cautioned against “any hasty conclusion” , stressing that those aggrieved by the judgment could seek redressal from the Supreme Court.

SC cites workload to put off hearing plea

The tension is palpable with just a day to go for the Ayodhya verdict. Even Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, in an unusual intervention, issued an appeal, asking people to maintain peace.

The growing wariness fuelled rumours about the resignation of one of the judges of the bench of the Allahabad HC that is to pronounce the much-awaited verdict: A prospect that would require the matter to be heard afresh.

On Wednesday, an SC bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and A K Patnaik did not seem very keen to hear a deferment plea. It said it would take it up in the afternoon after consulting the registry. But in the afternoon, the bench said the division of work among benches by the CJI barred them taking up the appeal.