A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud’s residence for Ganpati Puja, the political and legal communities have voiced strong reactions. The visit has sparked debate over its propriety, with retired judges and eminent lawyers questioning the decision to make the visit public and its implications for the judiciary.
Legal Community Expresses Concerns
Former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha expressed his concerns about the visit’s potential impact on public perception. Speaking to The Indian Express, he noted, “By such a meeting, public perception of the judiciary gets impacted but judicial decision-making in a way is not impacted. Judge will do what he wants to do independently.” Lodha highlighted that this is the first instance he recalls of a Prime Minister visiting a Chief Justice’s official residence.
Kapil Sibal, Rajya Sabha MP and Supreme Court Bar Association President, shared his personal reaction to the publicized visit. “I am sure that maybe the CJI may not have known that this was being publicised, that is sad,” Sibal said. He added that the Prime Minister should have been advised against attending such a private event due to the potential negative signal it could send, especially given the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Retired Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Govind Mathur, described the public nature of the visit as “improper.” He stated, “In my opinion, it was not proper to make the visit public. I don’t know who invited whom, but I can say such visits may impact the image of the judiciary in the eyes of the public.”
Judges Weigh In on the Visit
Former Delhi High Court judge Justice (retd) Rekha Sharma argued that the visit should have been avoided altogether. “Cases involving the government and, lately, cases involving violations of human rights are coming before the Supreme Court. In this kind of a scenario, a social interaction between the Chief Justice of India and the Prime Minister raises apprehension in the minds of victims and litigants,” she said.
Conversely, former Madras High Court judge Justice (retd) K Chandru downplayed the significance of the visit. “It is not wrong for the CJI, being head of the judiciary, to have Ganesh pooja in his house and also invite the head of the executive wing… Maybe they should not have gone public with that. But to denigrate the CJI’s integrity with that event is childish and immature,” Chandru remarked.
Political Parties Weigh In
Political parties have also weighed in on the controversy. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut questioned whether the Uddhav Sena would receive fair treatment in the ongoing case involving the Shiv Sena split. “Will the Uddhav Sena get justice under the CJI?” Raut asked, prompting a response from the Eknath Shinde camp’s Milind Deora, who termed Raut’s comments as “reckless” and “unfortunate.”
RJD MP Manoj Jha highlighted concerns about the visibility of the visit. “The Ganpati puja is very personal. You are going there with a camera. The message can be discomforting,” Jha said. He questioned the public release of the visit’s pictures, suggesting it could undermine the constitutional separation of powers.
BJP Defends the Visit
The ruling BJP defended the visit, framing it as a demonstration of “civility” and “cordiality.” BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh took to X (formerly Twitter) to dismiss criticisms from “left liberals,” stating, “It was not socialising but a devoted Ganapathi Pooja.” He accused critics of misinterpreting the event, which he described as a simple act of respect.
BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Opposition of politicizing the issue. “Should the different pillars of democracy not converge? Should they be enemies?” Patra questioned, defending the visit as a normal interaction between key democratic figures.
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