'Sat before God, told him to find a solution': CJI Chandrachud on Ayodhya dispute
21 Oct 2024 11:47:50
Pune, Oct 21: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that he had prayed to God for a resolution to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute when the case came up before a bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi in which Chandrachud was one of the justices. The other members of the bench were Justices SA Bobde, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer. Further, he also expressed confidence that if one has faith, God will find a way.
CJI Chandrachud was addressing residents of his native Kanhersar village in Khed tehsil of Pune district where he was felicitated.
“Very often we have cases (to adjudicate) but we don’t arrive at a solution. Something similar happened during the Ayodhya (Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute) which was in front of us for three months and none of us knew what the way ahead would be. As a daily ritual, I have been worshipping God and at that time I sat before the deity and told him he needs to find a solution for this,” said Justice Chandrachud who is set to retire on November 10.
CJI Chandrachud was part of the bench that delivered the historic verdict.
Incidentally, the CJI had visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in July this year and offered prayers. The idol consecration of the temple was held on January 22 this year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Very often we have cases (to adjudicate) but we don’t arrive at a solution. Something similar happened during the Ayodhya (Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute) which was in front of us for three months and none of us knew what the way ahead would be. As a daily ritual, I have been worshipping God and at that time I sat before the deity and told him he needs to find a solution for this,” said Justice Chandrachud who is set to retire on November 10.
Asserting that he prays regularly, the CJI said, ”Believe me, if you have faith, God will always find a way.”
A momentous chapter in the Ayodhya dispute unfolded on November 9, 2019, when the Supreme Court, led by then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, delivered a landmark judgment. The bench settled a long-pending issue that went back more than a century by paving the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. It also ruled that a mosque will come up on an alternative five-acre plot in Ayodhya itself. The five-judge bench ruled in favour of Ram Lalla and decreed that the entire disputed land would be handed over to a trust established by the government.
CJI Chandrachud was part of the bench that delivered the historic verdict.
Incidentally, the CJI had visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in July this year and offered prayers. The idol consecration of the temple was held on January 22 this year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.