Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud while attending Ganpati Puja at the latter’s residence, in New Delhi, on September 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Several prominent lawyers and politicians, including Indira Jaisingh, Prashant Bhushan and MP Sanjay Raut criticised Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud after he invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (September 11, 2024) to participate in Ganpati Puja at the CJI’s residence in New Delhi.
In a video, CJI Chandrachud and his wife Kalpana Das were seen welcoming PM Modi at their house. Mr. Modi is then seen participating in the puja at their residence.
Senior lawyer Jaisingh wrote on X: “Chief Justice of India has compromised the separation of powers between the Executive and Judiciary. Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI. The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of Independence of the CJI from the Executive.” She also tagged MP Kapil Sibal, who is currently the president of the SCBA.
Another prominent lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said that Mr. Chandrachud’s actions were a violation of the code of conduct for judges. “A judge should practise a degree of aloofness consistent with the dignity of his office. There should be no act or omission by him which is unbecoming of the high office he occupies and the public esteem in which that office is held,” Mr. Bhushan wrote, citing the code.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut raised concerns about the impartiality of the Chief Justice, casting doubt on his ability to deliver a fair judgement in the case where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu has challenged a ruling that held that the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction was the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.
“How many people’s houses has the Prime Minister visited so far? I don’t have the information. Ganesh festival is celebrated in many places in Delhi, but the Prime Minister went to the Chief Justice’s house…”
“Our knowledge of God is such that if the custodians of the Constitution meet political leaders in this manner, then people have doubts.”
Mr. Raut reiterated his call for Chief Justice Chandrachud to distance himself from the case. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “It seems to me that there is a tradition that in such cases, if there is a party and the judge has or is seen to have any relation with it, then he dissociates himself from that case. So, I feel that Chandrachud sahab should dissociate himself from it.”
Published – September 12, 2024 11:50 am IST
