Sat before God, prayed for solution: Chief Justice on Ayodhya dispute

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Sunday shared that he had prayed for a solution to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute before pronouncing the verdict, emphasising that God will find a way for those who have faith. He made these remarks while speaking to residents of his hometown, Pune.
Reflecting on his time deliberating on the Ayodhya case, which lasted three months, CJI Chandrachud noted, “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 Chief Justice said, as quoted by news agency PTI. Asserting that he prays regularly, the CJI said, “Believe me, if you have faith, God will always find a way”.
The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was a long-standing legal and political issue over whether the 16th-century Mughal mosque was built after demolishing a temple on the site, which is claimed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.
On November 9, 2019, a five-judge Supreme Court bench, led by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and including Justice Chandrachud, resolved the dispute through its verdict, bringing an end to the nearly 70-year-old conflict. The Supreme Court allowed the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya while designating an alternative five-acre plot for the mosque.
CJI Chandrachud visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in July, where he offered prayers. The idol consecration ceremony took place on January 22 this year, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.