Yogi Adityanath tells News18 he will 'follow' SC judgment in Ayodhya case, criticises Muslim parties for being 'stubborn' during mediation

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath weighed in on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute case in an exclusive interview with Network18 group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi and said that the apex court's verdict after the conclusion of the daily hearings in October will be based on "facts and evidence".

Representational image. Reuters

He also said that the BJP in the state is "hopeful" and will follow the judgment of the Supreme Court. The matter is being heard currently by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. In an attempt to fast-track a conclusion to the decades-old case also referred to as the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the court on Wednesday set a deadline for the arguments and said that the verdict is likely to be declared by 17 November.

The apex court took up the case for daily hearings in August after the court-appointed mediation panel headed by former Supreme Court judge FM Kallifullah failed to find a resolution.

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In criticism of the Muslim parties to the case, Adityanath said a solution is not possible if "people are stubborn". "It would have been good had the Muslim community taken an initiative to end this when the Supreme Court gave time for mediation, but that did not happen. It wouldn't have happened as people can only move towards a solution when they are thinking positively, but when they are stubborn about this, then only the Supreme Court can take a decision. This will only end after the Supreme Court takes a decision," he said.

The five-judge constitution bench, which also comprises Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, said that arguments by all parties are stipulated to end on 18 October, which will give them four weeks to complete writing the judgment.

Offering to hear the case on Saturdays as well, the court also allowed for a parallel mediation process alongside the hearings and said that the parties to the dispute are free to find an amicable solution, if they want, and place the settlement before it.

"The hearing of the appeals, which is at a very advanced stage, will continue without any interruption. "If in the meantime, the parties desire to settle the matter(s), including, by resort to mediation by the earlier constituted mediation panel, they may do so and place the settlement before the court, if reached," the bench said in its order.