"Would Like To Thank Judiciary" For Ram Temple, Says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi - shortly after completing the 'pran pratishtha' of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya - thanked the judiciary for "justice" dispensed five years, referring to the Supreme Court's controversial November 2019 decision to award the once-disputed site, on which the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque stood before being illegally demolished - to camps of Hindu petitioners

"Even after the Constitution came into existence, a legal battle was fought for decades (over) Lord Ram's existence. I would like to thank the judiciary that delivered justice and (allowed) Lord Ram's temple was built in a legal manner..." the Prime Minister said after the consecration ceremony.

"January 22, 2024, is not merely a date... it marks the advent of a new era," Mr Modi declared.

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Delivering a series of dramatic pronouncements, the Prime Minister hailed "Ram's supreme blessings" and said, "I seek forgiveness from Lord Ram... there were shortcomings in our penance that we could not complete this work (the temple) for so long. That delay has been overcome."

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On November 9 a bench of senior judges, led by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, relied on a report by the Archaeological Survey of India - which confirmed a structure existed beneath the mosque - to rule in favour of the Hindu side, which argued the site was the birthplace of Ram.

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The court also called the razing of the mosque - in 1992, followed by riots in which over 2,000 people were killed - a "calculated act of destroying a place of public worship", and said the Muslim community had been "wrongly deprived of a mosque constructed well over 450 years ago".

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The five judges behind that order, among whom was sitting Chief Justice, DY Chandrachud, were all invited to the consecration, but it is unclear if any of them attended the event.

The Ram Temple 'pran pratishtha' has been at the centre of a massive political storm, with the opposition, led by the INDIA bloc, accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of politicising a religious event to secure more votes. The government has denied this charge.

The event has also drawn other controversies - including the one that involves the shankaracharyas of four premier monasteries staying away. The Puri and Joshimath shankaracharyas criticised the consecration of an incomplete temple and allowing Mr Modi inside the sanctum sanctorum while they were allotted seats outside. The event is being given a political angle, they claimed.

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