Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to CJI D Y Chandrachud's residence to attend the Ganpati Puja has stoked a row with veteran lawyers and the opposition stating the act sends a wrong signal to the judiciary.
A video posted by the Prime Minister on Wednesday showed the CJI and his wife Kalpana Das welcoming Modi at their house. The Prime Minister, clad in traditional Maharashtrian attire, shared pictures of him offering prayers to Lord Ganesha. "Joined Ganesh Puja at the residence of CJI, Justice DY Chandrachud Ji. May Bhagwan Shri Ganesh bless us all with happiness, prosperity and wonderful health," Modi said in a post on X along with a photograph of him participating in the puja at the CJI's residence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the residence of CJI DY Chandrachud and Ms Kalpana Das to participate in Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja@narendramodi #SupremeCourtOfIndia #CJIDYChandrachud pic.twitter.com/6F4exwOFOF
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) September 11, 2024
However, the visit did not sit well with veteran lawyers, including Prasanth Bhushan and Indira Jaisingh, who criticised the act as blurring the line between executive and judiciary.
Senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Indira Jaising said the Supreme Court Bar Association of India (SCBA) must publicly condemn the act. " The 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 must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of the Independence of the CJI from the Executive @KapilSibal," she said.
However, BJP national organising secretary B L Santhosh defended the visit, stating that the SCBA was not a moral compass. "Civility, cordiality, togetherness, co-travellers in nations journey are all an anathema to these left liberals. Also, it was not socialising but a devoted Ganapathi Pooja is very hard to digest. SCBA is not a moral compass. Take a deep breath once," Santhosh’s X post read.
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan said it was shocking that the CJI allowed Modi to visit him at his residence. In a post on X, Bhushan said he sent a very bad signal to the judiciary. He said there has to be an arms-length distance between the executive and judiciary as the latter had the responsibility of protecting the fundamental rights of citizens and ensuring that the government acts within the bounds of the Constitution.
Though the Congress was yet to respond to the visit, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut minced no words stating the party's stance. He said the Ganapathi festival was going on at many people's houses but the PM chose to visit the CJI's house. "If a custodian of the Constitution meets politicians, it can create doubt in people's minds. The hearing in the Shiv Sena case is going on before the Supreme Court, so we doubt if we will ever get justice since the PM is the other party," Raut said.
He urged the CJI to distance himself from the case because his relationship with the other party in the case was out in the open. "Will CJI Chandrachud be able to give us justice in such a situation? We are getting date after date and an illegal government is still at the helm in Maharastra," he added.
