NEW DELHI: Meet Karunesh Shukla, a Bairagi Naga sadhu, who was so determined to “reclaim the glory” of Lord Ram that he studied law to fight a legal battle for his guru Mahant Dharam Das — one of the petitioners in the 2019 Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid title suit case — in the Supreme Court.
Shukla represented Mahant Das, a primary litigant of Nirvani Ani Akhara, demanding the right to worship and manage the birthplace of Ram Lalla.
While talking to this paper, Shukla said his Guru Mahant Dharam Das sent him to Kanpur for admission to Dayanand College of Law. With hard work and perseverance, he passed out as a lawyer and fulfilled his dream of fighting the case for Das in the top court.
The apex court’s landmark verdict was delivered by the former CJIs — Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Sharad Arvind Bobde — Justices Dr Chandrachud (Present CJI), Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer had, in 2019, ruled in favour of the Hindu parties and directed to construct the Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The bench was headed by the former CJI Justice Gogoi.
These five judges figure in the list of invitees for the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya , which would be witnessed by more than 7,000 dignitaries across various arena
Born into a religious family in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh in 1991, Dharam Das was sent to live in an ashram in Ayodhya, where he was initiated as ‘Bairagi Naga sadhu’ by Mahant Dharam Das.
He said that after the pronouncement of the verdict in the case in the SC, Das was quite satisfied with the judgement, which ordered the formation of trust to take care of Ram Temple.
Shukla also saved 50–60 Hindu women from the clutches of Love Jihad. Not only did he fight their legal battle free of cost, but he rehabilitated them with his financial resources.
“As a Naga sadhu, I renounced the world but did not abandon my duties toward society. This teaches me the importance of balancing personal and spiritual growth and contributing positively to the world. I am a selfless warrior of the society,” Shukla said, adding that he was ready for more such battles.