The Supreme Court judges who gave the Ayodhya verdict in 2019 were invited for the inauguration of Ram Temple on 22 January.

Five Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who was part of the Constitution bench that paved the way for the construction of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya in 2019, were invited as state guests to witness the consecration ceremony Is. 22 January.

Apart from CJI Chandrachud, former CJIs Ranjan Gogoi and SA Bobde and former judges Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer were part of the bench that delivered the landmark judgment on November 9, 2019.

The unanimous and anonymous Ayodhya verdict 2019 had supported the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot should be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy city.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s invitee list also includes over 50 jurists, including former chief justices, judges and top lawyers, as well as ‘Ram Lalla’ lawyer K Parasaran.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and former Attorney General KK Venugopal are also among the invitees. According to the temple trust, more than 7,000 people, including politicians, celebrities, industrialists and saints, are expected to attend the celebrations.

This invitation has been sent by the Special Secretary Protocol of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Ram temple consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 with the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the idol of Ram Lalla in the under-construction temple in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, the first image of the new Ram Lalla idol became public on Friday as anticipation grew for the consecration ceremony.

According to the picture released by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the eyes of this statue made of black stone obtained from Karnataka are covered with a piece of yellow cloth and decorated with a garland of roses. Ram Lalla, Bal Ram, is in standing posture.

The new 51-inch idol, made by Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Thursday afternoon, having been brought on a truck the previous night.

VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the rituals at the temple began at 8.30 am on Friday and continued till 3.30 pm. Another VHP functionary said already established deities like Lord Ganesha were also worshiped and the Vedas were recited.

(With PTI inputs)