SC judges, including CJI, invited for Jan 22 consecration ceremony in Ayodhya

New Delhi: Five Supreme Court judges including present CJI D Y Chandrachud, who was part of the Constitution bench which paved the way for the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, are invited as state guests to witness the consecration ceremony on January 22.

Besides the present CJI Chandrachud, former CJIs Ranjan Gogoi and S A Bobde and former judges Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer were part of the bench which delivered the historic verdict on November 9, 2019.

The unanimous and anonymous verdict had backed the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

The Uttar Pradesh government's list of invitees also includes over 50 jurists, including former chief justices, judges and top lawyers, as well as K Parasaran, the counsel for 'Ram Lalla'.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and former Attorney General KK Venugopal are also among the invitees.

According to the temple trust, over 7,000 people, including politicians, celebrities, industrialists, and saints are slated to attend the ceremony.

The invitation has been sent by the special secretary protocol of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Ram Mandir consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 with the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla in the still-under-construction temple in Ayodhya.