Overview

• In a new interview with Sreenivasan Jain, ex-CJI DY Chandrachud said the Babri Masjid’s very erection was the “fundamental act of desecration,” responding to questions about Hindu acts in 1949.
• Reporters note his assertion conflicts with the 2019 Ayodhya verdict he joined, which recorded that ASI findings did not establish a demolition of a temple to build the mosque and cautioned against deciding title on archaeology.
• Chandrachud defended the judgment as grounded in conventional legal standards, cited adverse-possession yardsticks, rejected claims it rested on faith, and said the 1992 demolition could not be justified.
• Explaining why he allowed a Gyanvapi survey, he said the site’s religious character was not settled and claimed cellar worship by Hindus was “undisputed,” a point the Muslim side has consistently contested.
• The remarks drew immediate criticism from lawyers and activists, including Prashant Bhushan and Rohin Bhatt, who argued his statements echoed communal talking points and diverged from the judgment’s text.