About Shri Triloki Nath Pandey

Shri Triloki Nath Pandey is remembered for his association with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and for serving as the Next Friend(III) of Bhagwan Shri Ram Lalla Virajman in the related legal proceedings.

Shri Triloki Nath Pandey (22 December 1945 – 24 September 2021) occupies a distinctive place in the legal, cultural, and constitutional history of modern India. As the legally recognized “Next Friend” or “Sakha” of Shri Ram Lalla Virajman, he represented the deity in the decisive phase of the Ram Janmabhoomi title litigation, including the final proceedings before the Supreme Court of India. His role was not that of a personal claimant; rather, he acted as a legal guardian for a Hindu deity, which Indian courts recognize as a juristic person capable of holding rights and property.

The landmark judgment delivered by a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on 9 November 2019 brought an end to a civil title dispute that had travelled through courts for decades. The Court awarded the disputed 2.77-acre site for the construction of a Ram temple and directed that an alternative five-acre plot be allotted to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque. Throughout the proceedings, Shri Triloki Nath Pandey discharged his responsibility with dedication, humility, and faith in the constitutional process.