Disturbing: PM’s visit to CJI house invites lawyers’ ire

PM Narendra Modi’s visit to CJI DY Chandrachud’s residence for Ganesh puja has snowballed into a controversy with several lawyers terming it a violation of the code of conduct for judges and a compromise on the separation of powers.

Must Uphold dignity of office

A judge should practise a degree of aloofness consistent with the dignity of his office. There should be no act or omission by him which is unbecoming of the high office he occupies. — Prashant Bhushan, Activist-lawyer

In a post on X, activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan cited the code of conduct for judges and said, “A judge should practice a degree of aloofness consistent with the dignity of his office. There should be no act or omission by him which is unbecoming of the high office he occupies and the public esteem in which that office is held.”

Terming the visit as “disturbing”, Bhushan said the judiciary was tasked with the responsibility of protecting the fundamental rights of citizens, which was primarily being assaulted by the executive... And it’s also responsible for ensuring that the executive functioned within the bounds of its authority and that’s why the code of conduct for judges had laid down that judges must maintain a degree of aloofness which was consistent with the dignity of their office.

“What the Chief Justice has allowed in this case is the PM to visit him at a private religious function…Firstly, it’s totally inappropriate for the PM to be visiting the Chief Justice’s residence for a private event; and secondly, it’s also inappropriate for the PM and the Chief Justice to display publicly a particular religious function because the SC is also supposed to protect secularism and, therefore, this was totally inappropriate; in my view, it’s a violation of the code of conduct for judges,” Bhushan said.

In a post on X, senior lawyer Indira Jaising alleged that the CJI had compromised on the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary. “Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI. The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of independence of the CJI from the executive,” she wrote.

However, Bar Council of India chairman and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra defended it saying that the Ganesh aarti was a socio-religious function.

The All India Lawyers Union said the CJI ought not to have permitted or caused such things to happen.

Meanwhile, the BJP and its ally hit out at the opposition parties, calling their reactions “reckless” and said casting “baseless aspersions” on the highest court sets a dangerous precedent.