About Ayodhya dispute mediators

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered mediation to settle the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Ayodhya title dispute case by a three-member panel.

The members comprise two legal eagles, both proponents of their field and a spiritual leader with a massive following. A brief look at the three who would be leading the mediation for the resolution of the case, which has been dragging on since 1992 and has kept the country on its toes with an anxious fervour.

Retired Judge Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla: The Supreme Court retired judge, who has been appointed to head the mediation committee, began his legal career in 1975 with law firm T.S. Gopalan & Co. He rose through the ranks to become a judge at the apex court in 2012, when he was sworn in by the then Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia. The Tamil Nadu born judge was made Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in 2011 after serving as acting Chief Justice for two months. Kalifulla retired from the profession in July 2016 .

Sriram Panchu: Panchu, also named to be a member of the committee, is a known and expert mediator who founded The Mediation Chambers in 2005. He is the president of the Association of Indian Mediators and a director on the board of the International Mediation Institute (IMI). He set up India's first court-annexed mediation centre in 2005. Panchu was appointed by India's Supreme Court to mediate a 500-square kilometre dispute between the states of Assam and Nagaland, and another public dispute involving the Parsi community in Bombay.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A noted spiritual leader known for his mediation skills in several social disputes.