July 18 (AZINS) Ayodhya case: The Supreme Court has allowed the mediation process in Ayodhya case to continue till July 31 and sought a report on the outcome by August 1. The court will hear the matter on August 2.

"We now fix the date of hearing on August 2. We request the mediation committee to inform the outcome of the proceedings as of July 31," CJI Ranjan Gogoi said on Thursday. This has come after Justice Kalifulla — chairman of mediation committee — had submitted a report in the Supreme court.

The court proceedings today lasted for less than 2 minutes. The SC bench was comprised of five judges — CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer

Previously, a 5-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had on July 11 sought a report on the issue and said that a day-to-day hearing may commence from July 25 if the court decides to conclude the mediation proceedings.

The bench had requested former apex court judge Justice (Retired) FM 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 SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA 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.

(With inputs from PTI)