What made Judge UU Lalit exit the politically sensitive Ayodhya case

With the recusal of Judge UU Lalit, the hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case has now been deferred till January 29 prompting Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to set up a new bench.

Hindu protesters shout slogans outside the Indian Supreme Court in New Delhi on January 10, 2019, after the hearing in the Ayodhya temple dispute case was further deferred to January 29. - The court is hearing pleas over petitioners demand to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya where a medieval mosque was demolished by Hindu hardliners decades, claiming it was built over an ancient temple dedicated to the birthplace of the deity Ram. It is a deeply polarising project, one that has aggravated deadly fissures between India's Hindu majority and its sizeable Muslim minority. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

New Delhi: With the adjournment of the Ayodhya case, a pall of gloom has engulfed the city of Ayodhya where thousands of Ram bhakts were expecting fixing of date of the case that’s been dragging in various courtrooms for over two decades. The case was postponed today after the exit of one of the five judges in the constitution bench. Justice The reason behind Justice Uday Umesh Lalit recusing was his association as a lawyer in a related case in a different capacity. Lalit was part of the 5-judge bench comprising Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana and D Y Chandrachud. The bench was headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The apex court took the decision after senior counsel Rajeev Dhawan, appearing for one of the Muslim parties, told the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that Justice Lalit in 1994 appeared for former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh in one of the matters related to the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. Kalyan Singh was found guilty and was awarded imprisonment for one day with a fine of Rs 20,000. Kalyan Singh is currently the Rajasthan Governor. Dhawan said he personally did not object to the presence of Justice Lalit but the latter voluntarily decided to opt out of the case. With the recusal of Judge UU Lalit, the hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case has now been deferred till January 29 prompting Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to set up a new bench. Important things to know about 61-year-old Justice Uday U Lalit

• Justice Uday U Lalit’s father U.R. Lalit was a former additional judge of the High Court of Delhi and is a senior counsel practising at Supreme Court of India
• Lalit had appeared in several high-profile cases involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the blackbuck poaching case
• He has appeared for former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in a corruption related case
• Also appeared for former Gujarat Minister Amit Shah in the 2005 Sohrabuddin fake encounter case
• Army chief General VK Singh in the case relating to his date of birth.
• Justice Uday U Lalit is the 6th senior advocate ever to be directly elevated to the Supreme Court
• He will retire on 8 November 2022

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