Prime Minister Narendra Modi had attended Ganpati Puja at the residence of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
That visit sparked criticism from opposition parties, including Congress, and some sections of the legal community, who raised concerns about the propriety and separation of powers between the judiciary and the executive. In contrast, the BJP dismissed the criticism, labeling it as unwarranted and describing the visit as part of India’s cultural practices.
🚨CJI Chandrachud on controversy over praying with PM🚨
PM visited my home for a purely private event, I do feel that there is absolutely nothing wrong. For the simple reason that these are continuing meetings between the judiciary and the executive even at a social level. We… pic.twitter.com/5ANj3uOrto— The Viral News (@theviralnews099) November 9, 2024
Recently, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud speaking at an event addressed the controversy surrounding his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the visit was a purely private event and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. He emphasized that such meetings between the judiciary and the executive occur regularly, even in social settings, and are not related to the cases the judiciary decides.
CJI Chandrachud pointed out that these informal gatherings happen on occasions like meetings at Rashtrapati Bhavan, during national celebrations like January 26 and August 15, and at events marking the appointment or retirement of Chief Justices. He underscored that these interactions are about life, society, and mutual respect, not about influencing judicial decisions.
Further, he stated that “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 residence. In most of these meetings, you are discussing basic issues like budgeting, infrastructure, technology, etc.
The CJI called for maturity in the political system to understand such interactions and to trust the independence of judges.
