SC Judges, Who Gave 2019 Ayodhya Verdict, Invited for Ram Temple Inauguration on Jan 22

Five Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who were part of the Constitution bench which paved the way for the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya in 2019, are invited as state guests to witness the consecration ceremony on January 22.

Besides CJI Chandrachud, former CJIs Ranjan Gogoi and S A Bobde and former judges Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer were part of the bench that delivered the landmark verdict on November 9, 2019.

The unanimous and anonymous Ayodhya verdict 2019 had backed the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s list of invitees also includes over 50 jurists, including former chief justices, judges, and top lawyers, as well as K Parasaran, the counsel for ‘Ram Lalla’.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and former Attorney General KK Venugopal are also among the invitees. According to the temple trust, over 7,000 people, including politicians, celebrities, industrialists, and saints are slated to attend the ceremony.

The invitation has been sent by the special secretary protocol of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Ram Mandir consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 with the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the idol of Ram Lalla in the still-under-construction temple in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, the first image of the new Ram Lalla idol became public on Friday as anticipation built up for the consecration ceremony.

The statue, carved in black stone sourced from Karnataka, has its eyes covered with a piece of yellow cloth and is adorned with a garland of roses, going by the picture released by the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Ram Lalla, the child Ram, is in the standing posture.

The new 51-inch idol, carved by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Thursday afternoon, brought there on a truck the previous night.

On Friday, rituals at the temple began at 8.30 am and went on till 3.30 pm, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said. Another VHP office bearer said already established deities like Lord Ganesh too were worshipped, and there was recitation from the Vedas.

(with PTI inputs)