In response to the intense political controversy surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to his house for Ganesh Puja, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud stated that no judicial matters are discussed during such gatherings. The Chief Justice responded to a question at the Loksatta annual lecture by stating that regular meetings between Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of high courts are standard procedure.
“People think why these meetings. The maturity of our political system lies in the fact that there is a great deal of deference to the judiciary even in the political class. It is known. The judiciary’s budget is from the state. This budget is not for judges. We need new court buildings, new residences for judges in districts. For this, the Chief Justice and Chief Minister’s meetings are necessary,” he said.
According to the Chief Justice, he was the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court before that. “When the Chief Justice is appointed, they go the Chief Minister’s house. Then, the Chief Minister comes to the Chief Justice’s house. These meetings have set agenda. Say, 10 projects are going on in the state, what is the infra, the budget? The Chief Minister informs the priorities for these projects. Wouldn’t you have to meet for this? If this happens over letters, the work will never get completed.”
“There is a great deal of maturity in the political system. In the course of these meetings, never would the Chief Minister ask about a pending case. On August 14, and January 26, a wedding or mourning, the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice meet each other, there is no bearing on judicial work. People ask what deals are happening. This is just part of a robust dialogue,” he said.
Images of the Prime Minister attending the Chief Justice’s home and taking part in the Ganesh Puja caused a huge political controversy, with some in the opposition claiming that such gatherings cast doubt on the government.
Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP and a leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), had suggested that the Chief Justice should recuse himself from a case linked to the tussle between Shiv Sena UBT and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. “Look, it is Ganpati festival. 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, and the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice together performed the Aarti. 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 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,” he said.
RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha has stated that institutions’ independence ought to be observed. “Ganpati puja is a personal issue, but you are taking a camera. The message it sends is uncomfortable. The Chief Justice of India and the Prime Minister are tall personalities. So what can we say if they agreed to put out these photographs in the public domain.”
The BJP has reacted forcefully to the criticism from the opposition. People who cheer when prime ministers attend Iftar celebrations “find their guts twisting and turning” when they witness the prime minister at the Ganesh Puja at the Chief Justice’s residence, according to Union minister Bhupender Yadav.
“The same people who applaud and encourage presence of Prime Ministers at Iftars find their guts twisting and turning when they see PM Modi perform Ganpati Poojan at CJI DY Chandrachud’s residence. The executive and judiciary praying before Gods revered by crores of devotees across India reflects the real strength of Indian secularism. Deal with it,” he said in a post on X. In response to the criticism from the opposition, BJP spokeswoman Shehzad Poonawalla said that then-Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan attended an Iftar party in 2009 that was thrown by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On November 10, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud of India is scheduled to retire. He will be replaced as head of the Supreme Court by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
