Congress calls CWC meet ahead of SC verdict on Ayodhya dispute case

New Delhi: Rattled by the different stand of party leaders on abrogation of Article 370, the Congress is to formalise its strategy on the Ayodhya verdict with the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet on Saturday at 9 am.

The consistent official line of the party has been that the Congress wants everyone to abide by the apex court verdict.

"Contrary views are emerging within the party. The leaders are desperate about the political fallout. But party managers want least damage this time. So a resolution may come to give clarity to all congressmen," said a party leader.

Congress` General Secretary in-charge of East UP, Priyanka Gandhi met state party leaders and discussed on how to tackle the verdict whichever way it goes. It was decided in the meeting that the party will not criticise the judgement as it has been maintaining that it will abide by the apex court verdict, sources said.

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The party has also cautioned its leaders not to make any comment that could damage the political prospects of the Congress.

All the political parties including the RSS has been appealing for calm.

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also initiated an interfaith dialogue, where leaders of RSS were also present.

The Supreme Court will pronounce its historic judgement in the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case today. The landmark verdict will be delivered at 10:30 am.

The top court will deliver its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging September 30, 2010, Allahabad High Court order, which trifurcated the 2.77 acres disputed land between the Nirmohi Akhara, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, and Ramlalla Virajman.

The case was heard by a five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan, and S Abdul Nazeer for a marathon 40 days on a day-to-day basis and reserved its order on October 16.

Hearing in the case commenced on August 6 after the court-appointed mediation panel, comprising of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Justice (retired) FMI Kalifullah and senior advocate and renowned mediator Sriram Panchu failed to arrive at an out-of-court settlement in the case.

The 40-day long proceedings turned out to be the second-longest hearing in the history of the Supreme Court, after the historic Kesavananda Bharati case which went on for 68 days.

On Friday, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is set to demit office on November 17 held a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari and director general of police (DGP) Om Prakash Singh and took stock of security arrangements in the state.