Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud recently addressed the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his residence for Ganpati prayers. CJI Chandrachud said that there is "absolutely nothing wrong" in it as he urged the public to trust judges.
Speaking at a recent event organised by The Indian Express, CJI Chandrachud said that PM Modi's visit to his residence was a purely private event and not a public one. Modi visited Chandrachud's residence in September this year to attend the Ganpati Puja celebrations.
The opposition, especially Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC), criticised the visit, arguing that such meetings could raise questions on potential conflicts of interest. The TMC said that the judiciary should not be seen as comprising its independence.
"The Prime Minister visited my home for a purely private event, it was not a public event. Well, I do feel that, you know, there was absolutely nothing wrong for the simple reason that these are continuing meetings between the Judiciary and the Executive, even at a social level," he said.
When asked if he would have liked to change the frame by having the Leader of Opposition (LoP) or other judges, he said that would have been a selection committee.
"Well, I wouldn't include the Leader of the Opposition because it is not a selection committee for appointing the Central Vigilance Commissioner or the Director of CBI," the CJI said jocularly.
A video of Modi performing Ganpati aarti at the CJI's residence went viral on X. The prime minister was seen wearing a traditional Maharashtrian cap during the celebrations. During this event, Chandrachud also said that deals are not cut during such interactions with politicians.
"The fact of the matter is, as I said, deals are never cut like this (during such interactions). So please, trust us, we are not there to cut deals," he said.
This, however, is not the first time that the Chief Justice of India has addressed the controversy. In October, CJI Chandrachud said at an event that judges are mature enough to not discuss judicial matters during such visits.
“There is enough maturity among judges of constitutional courts and the heads of the executive to firmly keep aside judicial matters out of the purview of any discussion,” the chief justice said at an event in October.