Overview

• In a Newslaundry/The News Minute interview with Sreenivasan Jain, former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud maintained the Ayodhya ruling rested on evidence rather than faith.
• He argued that the Babri Masjid’s very erection was a “fundamental act of desecration,” a characterization he used to rebut critiques about Hindu acts in 1949.
• Reporters noted this stance conflicts with the 2019 Supreme Court judgment’s own cautions that the ASI report did not establish a temple’s demolition to build the mosque and recorded a centuries-long evidentiary gap.
• He also justified allowing a survey of Varanasi’s Gyanvapi Mosque by saying the site’s religious character was not settled and claimed Hindus had worshipped in the cellar through the ages, a claim the Muslim side disputes.
• He rejected claims that landmark decisions were guided by faith, defended the court’s acceptance of the government’s statehood assurance on Jammu & Kashmir, and said retired judges should decide for themselves about taking government roles.