'I sat before the deity and...': CJI Chandrachud says he prayed to God for a solution to Ayodhya dispute

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud recently revealed that he had prayed to God for a resolution to the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. Addressing residents of his native Kanhersar village in Maharashtra, where he was felicitated on Sunday, the CJI shared his experience with the Ayodhya case.

"Very often, we have cases (to adjudicate) but 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," Chandrachud said. He emphasized his belief in faith, adding, "Believe me, if you have faith, God will always find a way."

The historic Ayodhya verdict was delivered on November 9, 2019, by a five-judge Supreme Court bench led by then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, which cleared the path for constructing the Ram temple. The judgment also allocated five acres of land in Ayodhya for building a mosque. 

CJI Chandrachud was part of the bench that pronounced the landmark verdict. In July 2023, he visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and offered prayers ahead of the temple's idol consecration ceremony, which took place on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress leader Udit Raj reacted to the CJI's remarks, saying if Chandrachud had prayed for some other issues, they would have also been resolved. "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," he said in a tweet.