Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday addressed the controversy surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to his residence for Ganpati Puja, asserting that there was “absolutely nothing wrong” in it.
Chandrachud emphasised the cultural and religious nature of the gathering, adding that it should not be viewed as a political event but rather as a traditional celebration where various dignitaries, including the prime minister, were invited.
Following the PM’s visit to the CJI residence, opposition parties led by the Congress and a section of lawyers had raised concerns over propriety and separation of powers between the judiciary and the executive. The BJP, on the other hand, dismissed the criticism as unwarranted and said it was a “part of our culture”.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and other critics questioned the appropriateness of the visit, arguing that it could raise doubts about judicial independence.
Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Express, CJI Chandrachud said one has to respect that the dialogue between the judiciary and the executive takes place as a part of the robust inter-institutional mechanism and separation of powers does not mean the two will not meet, A a PTI report said on Tuesday.
“The separation of powers concept does not postulate that judiciary and executive are antagonist in the sense they will not meet or not engage in a reasoned dialogue. In the states, there is a protocol of chief justice and the administrative committee of the high court meeting the chief minister and on the chief minister meeting the chief justice at their residences. In most of these meetings, you are discussing basic issues like budgeting, infrastructure, technology, etc,” he said.
On the prime minister’s visit, the CJI shared, “The PM visited my residence for Ganpati Puja. I do feel, there is absolutely nothing wrong as these are continuing meetings between the judiciary and the executive even at the social level. We meet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Republic Day, etc. We are in conversation with the prime minister and the ministers. This conversation does not involve the cases which we decide but life and society in general,” the report quoted him as saying.
CJI Chandrachud, who demits office on November 10, said, “There has to be a sense of maturity in the political system to understand this and trust our judges because the work we do is evaluated by our written word. Everything we decide is not kept in wraps and is open to scrutiny.”
“What the separation of powers postulates is that the judiciary should not be performing the role of the executive which is defining policies because the power to frame policy belongs to the government. Likewise the executive does not decide the cases. We have to keep this in mind. Dialogue has to take place because you are dealing with the careers and the lives of people in the judiciary,” the CJI said.
Chandrachud also urged the public to trust in the judiciary’s integrity, asserting that judges remain committed to impartiality despite such personal gatherings.
