Speaking at a felicitation event in his native village Kanhersar, located in Khed taluka, he said, “There are times when we handle cases but struggle to find a solution. A similar situation arose with the Ayodhya (Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid) dispute, which was before me for three months. I sat before the deity and told him that he must show us the way.”
NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, shared that he had prayed to God for a resolution to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, expressing his belief that faith paves the way for solutions.
Speaking at a felicitation event in his native village Kanhersar, located in Khed taluka, he said,
“I sat before the deity…”
Reflecting on his experience, he added,
“There are times when we handle cases but struggle to find a solution. A similar situation arose with the Ayodhya (Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid) dispute, which was before me for three months. I sat before the deity and told him that he must show us the way.”
Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, emphasized his regular practice of prayer, stating,
“Believe me, if you have faith, God will always find a way.”
Supreme Court’s Ayodhya Verdict
In September 2010, the Allahabad High Court issued a ruling that divided the Ayodhya land title into three equal parts, granting portions to the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram (represented by Triloki Nath Pandey, an RSS volunteer and Vishva Hindu Parishad functionary who replaced Agarwal after his death), and the Sunni Waqf Board.
All parties involved in the case filed appeals, asserting their claims over the disputed land. In 2011, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s decision.
On September 27, 2018, a three-judge bench delivered its decision on whether the case should be referred to a larger Constitution Bench (comprising five judges). The court ruled that a three-judge bench could continue hearing the matter, rejecting the need for a Constitution Bench on the basis that the Faruqui case did not require re-examination. The Faruqui case had established that mosques are not an essential feature of Islam.
Justice Bhushan, writing for Chief Justice Misra and himself, authored the majority opinion, while Justice Nazeer dissented:
- Justice Bhushan wrote the majority opinion.
- Justice Nazeer provided a dissenting opinion.
Following Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s retirement on October 2, 2018, his successor, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, used his administrative authority to reassign the dispute to a five-judge Constitution Bench on January 8, 2019.
On November 9, 2019, when the Supreme Court, under the leadership of then-CJI Ranjan Gogoi, delivered a historic judgment. The verdict resolved a century-old conflict by allowing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The bench also directed that a mosque be built on an alternate five-acre plot within Ayodhya. The five-judge bench ruled in favor of Ram Lalla, assigning the disputed land to a government-established trust.
Notably, CJI Chandrachud was a part of the bench that issued this landmark ruling.
CJI Chandrachud’s Visit to Ram Temple
In July 2023, the CJI visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and offered prayers.
Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha
On January 22, 2024, the 500-year-long ‘exile’ of Lord Ram ended with the consecration of the new idol of Ram Lalla in the Ram Mandir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, attended the event.
During the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, the face of the idol was unveiled for the first time. The Prime Minister offered prayers, performed ‘aarti,’ and bowed in reverence with ‘Dandavat Pranam’ at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
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