New Delhi: Prominent Indian lawyer and former Supreme Court Bar Association president Dushyant Dave has criticized retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud for permitting surveys of mosques, calling it a significant disservice to the Constitution and India.

According to Kashmir Media Service, in an interview with Karan Thapar, Dave accused Justice Chandrachud of violating the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which bars changes to the character of religious sites. “Justice Chandrachud has done a great disservice to the Constitution and this country… The survey of the Gyanvapi mosque allowed by his bench was the most shocking defiance of the law and has opened a Pandora’s box,” he said.

Dave expressed outrage at Chandrachud’s justification that ascertaining the religious character of places of worship is not expressly barred by law. “If you cannot change the character of a place, what is the point of ascertaining what the character is?” Dave argued, accusing the retired CJI of playing into the hands of majoritarian forces.

The lawyer also referenced Chandrachud’s involvement in the Ayodhya verdict and questioned his impartiality, pointing to the puja the former CJI performed alongside the prime minister and his claim that the Ayodhya judgment was divinely inspired.

Criticizing the ongoing communal tensions, Dave said, “Why don’t you begin with the Red Fort, Taj Mahal, or Qutub Minar? Start digging under them. Do we now plan to obliterate thousands of monuments representing the Islamic history of this country? Where is this going to end?”

Dave became visibly emotional while discussing recent violence in Sambhal and the broader impact on India’s minority communities. “I have sleepless nights thinking about this… It’s really sad what is happening. I can’t understand why no one in this country wants to stand up and fight this nonsense,” he said, with tears in his eyes.

While lauding current Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna for staying the survey of the Sambhal mosque following violent clashes, Dave said Khanna should have gone further by halting all proceedings related to mosque surveys.