SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav hits out at CJI Chandrachud, backtracks after uproar
The Samajwadi Party leader later denied making the statement and insisted that he was speaking about communal violence at Bahraich
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Monday (October 21) triggered a huge row when he lashed out at Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud following media queries about the latter’s comment on the Ayodhya dispute. However, he later denied making any remarks about the CJI.
CJI Chandrachud had on Sunday said that he had prayed for resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute before pronouncing the verdict and underlined that God finds a way for those who have faith.
In his initial comments, the Rajya Sabha MP told the media: “I do not want to make any comments. When you bring ghosts back to life, when you bring the dead back to life, they become ghosts and start following justice. Where are they now?...Forget it, all such ******* people keep on saying such things. Should I take notice of them?”
Denies making remark
His remarks sparked a major controversy on the social media. On the back foot, Yadav later denied making the statement attributed to him and insisted that he was speaking about the communal violence in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.
“Nobody asked me anything about the CJI. The CJI is a very reputed person. I never made any comment (on him). I was asked about Bahraich (violence) and I responded to that,” he told news agency ANI.
What Chandrachud said
Earlier, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said he was not aware of the objectionable remarks made by his uncle. “We all respect the CJI,” he said, referring to Chandrachud.
A day earlier, reflecting on his time deliberating the Ayodhya case, Chandrachud said: “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 needed to find a solution. Believe me, if you have faith, God will always find a way,” he added.
On November 9, 2019, a five-judge Supreme Court bench, led by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and including Justice Chandrachud, allowed the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya while designating an alternative five-acre plot for the razed Babri mosque, ending a decades-long legal conflict.