A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said that after perusing the report filed by the mediation panel, it will take a call on August 2 on whether hearing is required in the case.
The bench, which perused the report filed by the panel headed by former apex court judge F M I Kalifulla, said its contents will remain confidential as per its earlier order.
"However, taking into account what has been brought to our notice by the said report, we now fix hearing of the case, if required on and from August 2," the bench, also comprising justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, said.
The bench had requested former apex court judge Justice (Retd) F M I Kalifulla, chairperson of the three-member mediation panel, to apprise it by July 18 the progress of mediation till date and its present stage.
"It will be convenient to have the said report latest by July 18, on which date further orders will be passed by this court," the bench, also comprising justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, had said on July 11.
It passed the order while hearing an application filed by a legal heir of one of the original litigants, Gopal Singh Visharad, seeking a judicial decision on the dispute and conclusion of the mediation process, alleging that nothing much was happening there.It had said that the court would pass appropriate orders on July 18 after perusing the report filed by the mediation committee.
The panel, also comprising spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu, was earlier granted time till August 15 by the apex court for completion of mediation after its earlier report had said that the mediators were "optimistic" about an amicable solution.
Some delaying Ayodhya settlement process: VHP
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which has been in the forefront of the Ayodhya movement, feels that some parties to the dispute are indulging in delaying tactics and wants the Supreme Court to address this while speeding up the trial in the decades-old issue.
The outfit, which is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), insists that it will accept no solution, except building of a grand Ram temple at his birthplace in Ayodhya.
"We want a solution, either through mediation or else," said VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal amid efforts by the Supreme Court to speed up the trial in the matter.
(With inputs from PTI)