In Brief
This landmark judgment concerns the Ayodhya dispute (M. Siddiq v. Mahant Suresh Das), where the Supreme Court ordered court-appointed mediation to resolve long-standing religious property claims. Despite parties' lack of consensus, the Court held that mediation should be attempted to achieve a permanent settlement. The Court appointed a three-member mediation panel and directed that all proceedings be strictly confidential and held in camera. The Court found no legal impediment under the Code of Civil Procedure to referring the matter to mediation and rejected arguments that representative suit provisions prevented settlement negotiations."
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