The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, dismissed 32 intervention pleas filed by third parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute. The pleas were filed by third parties including filmmaker Aparna Sen and Shyam Benegal and activist Teesta Setalvad among others. The pleas primarily demanded a secular use of the disputed land.

The top court also said that a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swamy will be heard by another appropriate bench and not by the bench hearing land dispute issue. Swamy had filed a petition saying that his right to worship at a religious place was greater than the right of property. He had raised his point during the hearing on Wednesday.

“I had filed a writ petition saying that I have a fundamental right to worship and this is a superior right than a property right,” said Swamy.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer was hearing the pleas challenging Allahabad High Court’s verdict of February 8. The apex court had earlier announced to deal with the case as a pure land dispute. 

The High Court ruled to split the land into three parts, one to Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara, and Ram Lalla.

The next hearing date has been fixed on March 23.