Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav stirred a major controversy by making derogatory remarks about Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on camera. The comments were made when Yadav was asked about the CJI’s recent statement where he mentioned “praying to God” in relation to the Ayodhya dispute. However, after facing a strong backlash, Yadav retracted his statement, denying that he had said anything about the Chief Justice.
Yadav’s Denial and Clarification
In the video, Yadav said “hamein koyi tipni nahin karni hai. jab bhooton ko jinda karte ho, murdon ko karte ho, to wo bhoot ban jaate hain aur justice ke peechhe pad jaate hain…ab kahaan hain..aapako abhi bhi babri masjid aur mandir dikh raha hai.. are chhodo, tamaam c*****e is tarah kee baaten karate rete hain hain to kya mujhe unhen sangyaan mein lena chahiye” (“I prefer not to comment on this. When you try to bring back the dead, they turn into ghosts and start haunting justice. Where are they now? Forget it; ******* people like that keep making such remarks. Should I pay attention to them?”
After the uproar, Yadav clarified his position, claiming that he was not questioned about the Chief Justice at all. Instead, he argued that his comments were related to the violence in Bahraich. “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 ANI.
SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, responding to the controversy, said that he was unaware of his uncle’s controversial remarks and added, “We all respect the CJI.”
CJI Chandrachud’s Remarks on Ayodhya Dispute
The controversy began after CJI DY Chandrachud made a statement on Sunday reflecting on his handling of the Ayodhya dispute. The Chief Justice said that before delivering the landmark verdict, he prayed for a resolution to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, stressing that faith in God helps find solutions.
He shared, “Very often we have cases to adjudicate, but we don’t arrive at a solution. Something similar happened during the Ayodhya dispute. 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.”
The Ayodhya Dispute Verdict
The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, a long-standing legal and political issue, centered around whether the 16th-century Babri Masjid was built after demolishing a temple at the site believed to be Lord Ram’s birthplace. On November 9, 2019, a five-judge Supreme Court bench, which included Justice Chandrachud, allowed the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site and allocated a five-acre plot for a mosque elsewhere, resolving the nearly seven-decade-old conflict.
