Plea Against Combining Lawsuits May Be Raised Later: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said a plea challenging the Allahabad high court order to combine 15 lawsuits by Hindu petitioners in the Mathura Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute may be raised later.

- Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI:

A bench comprising chief justice Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar took a prima facie view in favour of the high court decision to consolidate all the lawsuits, saying it favours both sides of the litigation.

On January 11 last year, the Allahabad high court directed that the 15 suits on an application filed by the Hindu plaintiff be consolidated "in interest of justice".

At the beginning of hearing on Friday, the SC bench said it is seized of an issue related to a 1991 law on places of worship and asked as to why it should intervene on the matter of the consolidation of the lawsuits at the moment.

"If required, you can raise the plea later," the CJI told the lawyer representing the mosque committee. In a related important development, the top court, on December 12, restrained till further directions the courts in the country from entertaining fresh lawsuits and passing any effective interim or final orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs.