Overview
- In an interview published this week, former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud said the “very erection” of the Babri Masjid was a “fundamental act of desecration,” prompting sharp public criticism.
- Reporters and legal commentators noted that this framing appears to conflict with the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment, which cited ASI findings of an underlying 12th‑century structure but recorded no evidence that a temple was demolished to build the mosque and highlighted a roughly four‑century gap.
- Speaking at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai on Thursday, Chandrachud said his remarks were quoted out of context and reiterated that the Ayodhya ruling was based on the case record and legal principles, not faith.
- He also defended permitting a survey at Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque by saying the site’s religious character was not a closed issue and asserting long‑standing Hindu worship in the cellar, a claim the mosque trust disputes.
- Clips of the exchange shared on social media, including by interviewer Sreenivasan Jain, accelerated the backlash from lawyers and activists, as Chandrachud additionally maintained that private prayer or meditation helps judicial equilibrium and is a protected personal belief.