Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Sunday mentioned that during the adjudication of the contentious Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, he prayed to God for guidance. His remark has drawn sharp reactions from political leaders, some supporting his sentiment while others lashing out at him for undermining the judicial process.
The Chief Justice, while addressing a gathering at his native Maharashtra's Kanhersar village in Khed taluka, said, “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 me for three months. I sat before the deity and told him he needs to find a solution."
The Ayodhya verdict, delivered on November 9, 2019, by a five-judge bench headed by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi, paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, ending a century-old conflict.
Congress leader Udit Raj took a dig at Justice Chandrachud’s revelation. The Congress MP suggested that had the CJI prayed for other issues, several more of the country's grievances could have been addressed. "Chief Justice Chandrachud ji said that he had prayed to God for the solution of the Ayodhya issue. If he had prayed for some other issues, they would have also been resolved, like a common man could get justice from the High Court and Supreme Court without money. Misuse of ED, CBI and IT would have stopped," Raj wrote on X.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav triggered a massive controversy when he seemed to abuse the Chief Justice of India on camera. When asked about the CJI’s prayer remark, Yadav lashed out, stating, "When you bring ghosts back to life, when you bring the dead back to life, they become ghosts and start following justice. Where are they now?... Forget it, all such *** people keep on saying such things. Should I take notice of them?"
Yadav’s outburst was met with immediate backlash, forcing him to clarify his statement. Yadav claimed that he had not been asked about the CJI at all. "Nobody asked me anything about the CJI. The CJI is a very reputed person. I never made any comment (on him). I was asked about Bahraich (violence) and I responded to that," Yadav said in an attempt to distance himself from the uproar.
Amit Malviya, BJP's I-T department head, said SP leader Ramgopal Yadav "should be booked for contempt of Court in this instance."
When asked about his uncle’s comments, Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from the controversy, stating that he wasn’t aware of the objectionable remark. "We all respect the CJI," Akhilesh said.
Reacting to the controversy, Akhilesh Yadav said he was not aware of the objectionable remark made by his uncle. "We all respect the CJI," he said.
RJD MLA Anzar Nayeemi questioned the CJI's reliance on prayer instead of the constitution. "What is this CJI sahab? You should have sat in front of the constitution and the law books of the country and taken help from them. You should have kept the constitution first. You did a great mistake. You did not do your work properly," Nayeemi said.
