Ayodhya Land Dispute is about Faith and Sentiment: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi

The Supreme Court said it was conscious of the gravity of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute and the outcome of mediation on the body politic of the country.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the case was not only about the property but also about sentiment and faith.

"It is not only about the property. It is about the mind, heart, and healing, if possible," the bench also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer said.

"We are not concerned about what Mughal ruler Babur had done and what happened after. We can go into what exists in the present moment," the bench said.

The apex court is considering whether the dispute can be settled through mediation.

The top court had asked the contesting parties to explore the possibility of settling the decades-old dispute through mediation.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, which was delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya is partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.