Five Supreme Court judges, including the current Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who were part of the Constitution bench that facilitated the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, have been invited as state guests to witness the consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024.
Alongside the present CJI Chandrachud, former CJIs Ranjan Gogoi and S A Bobde, as well as former judges Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, were part of the bench that delivered the historic verdict on November 9, 2019.
The unanimous and anonymous verdict supported the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and mandated the finding of an alternative five-acre plot for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.
The Uttar Pradesh government’s list of invitees also includes over 50 jurists, such as 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.
