Petitioner is nephew of former Cong CM

Ramesh Chandra Tripathi,who has approached the Supreme Court with a petition to defer the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suits

Ramesh Chandra Tripathi,who has approached the Supreme Court with a petition to defer the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suits,is the maternal nephew of the late Congress leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Sripati Mishra.

Tripathi is also Defendant No. 17 in the title suit filed by the Sunni Central Board of Waqfs.

The main relief claimed in the suit is for declaration of the disputed site as the Babri Masjid and the adjoining land as a public graveyard. Possession of both has been sought in the suit.

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Last week,the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected Tripathis plea to defer the verdict. He had cited apprehension of breach of peace and wanted the issue resolved through mediation. But Justice Dharam Veer Sharma,one of the three judges on the bench,disagreed with the decision to impose Rs 50,000 as cost on Tripathi.

Nephew Yogendra Prasad Tripathi,who is an advocate in Faizabad,told The Indian Express that Tripathi retired from the Indian Air Force and,though not a lawyer,was well-versed with law.

He said Tripathis mother was the sister of the late Sripati Mishra and had married Parashuram Tripathi of Bhagwanpatti village in Akbarpur tehsil of Ambedkar Nagar district.

Tripathi lives in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow. His application for putting on hold the title suits verdict to allow mediation between the contesting parties has generated considerable heat in the countdown to the September 24 order.

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The Sunni Central Board of Waqfs and the Hindu Mahasabha said there was no chance of any compromise and filed objections against the move to stall the verdict.

The Nirmohi Akhara,one of the main parties to the title dispute,also moved an application on September 17,seeking time until September 27 to arrive at a compromise.