New Delhi, October 29: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the Ayodhya case till January 2019 and said it will then decide on the date of hearing on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute matter. The top Court on Monday was to hear a batch of pleas challenging the Allahabad High Court's 2010 verdict by which the disputed land in Ayodhya was divided into three parts. The Apex Court had on September 27 said the civil suit on land dispute would be heard by a three-judge bench on October 29.

After the Court adjourned the matter till January 2019, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya sadi, "I don't want to comment since it's the decision of Supreme Court. However, the adjournment of hearing doesn't send a good message".

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph was to hear the case under “direction matters”.  Reports inform that the issue if a mosque is integral to Islam had cropped up when the three-judge bench was hearing the appeals filed against the Allahabad High Court's verdict. Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi Dispute: Supreme Court to Commence Ayodhya Title Suit Hearing Today. 

The Supreme Court on September 27, had declined to refer to a five-judge constitution bench the issue of reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam which had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute. According to a report by PTI, in a majority verdict of 2:1, a three-judge bench headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra had said the civil suit has to be decided on the basis of evidence and the previous verdict has no relevance to this issue. Ayodhya Case: Senior Counsel Rajeev Dhawan Sparks Controversy, Says 'Babri Masjid Was Destroyed By Hindu Taliban'.

For the last eight years, the Ayodhya case is pending before the Supreme Court. The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had ruled a verdict that divided the disputed Ayodhya land equally among three parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2018 12:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).