Trilokinath Pandey: ‘Immediate Friend' Of Shri Ram On His Way To Meet Him

I think it was 2014-15 when I first saw Shri Trilokinath Pandey. He came to meet my senior, who was one of the advocates for Shri Ramlalla Virajmaan in the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court. I, however, came to know him from close quarters only during the final hearings of the Ram Janmabhoomi case in the Supreme Court of India.

In the 40-day hearing of the case, there was not a single day that he was not present in the court. Every evening after court, we, the lawyers, and the litigants for Shri Ramlalla Virajmaan, that comprised of Shri Champat Rai, Shri Om Prakash Singhal and Shri Trilokinath Pandey, would meet over evening tea and discuss the further course of action.

What set Shri Trilokinath Pandey apart from others was his ability to lighten the situations by sharing jokes or anecdotes from the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Shri Pandey was someone who could joke with everyone, including the late Shri Ashok Singhal, and no one ever felt slighted. That was his persona.

During those 40 days of hearing, I never saw him tense. An ever-smiling person, he was confident of winning the case. This was despite his ill-health and difficulty in walking (he would walk with the help of a quadripod walking stick).

His health worsened in 2017 and that rendered him unable to walk. He was operated on for the same and his health improved substantially. However, it worsened again earlier this year and he was admitted to a hospital in Lucknow on 20 September.

He breathed his last on 24 September after a prolonged illness of six months. Though he couldn't see the grand Ram Temple getting completed on the site, he did witness the judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi case delivered in his favour, after decades long struggle.

The ‘immediate friend of Shri Ram’ is on his way to meet him. May the friend find a place in His lotus feet.