BCI Chief Manan Mishra defends PM Modi's Ganesh Puja visit to CJI's house after Sanjay Raut's criticism

New Delhi [India], September 12: Bar Council of India Chairman and BJP Rajya Sabha MP, senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, on Thursday responded to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud's residence for Ganesh Puja.
Mishra, addressing the issue, said, "Sanjay Raut is a seasoned leader. I would not like to say much, but those who are involved in cases will object a little." He added that Raut's concerns would not affect the Supreme Court's judgement and added that the Ganesh Aarti was a 'social-religious function.'
"The PM went there, offered prayers, and returned. If there had been a different kind of meeting, it would have been done confidentially...mocking these meetings isn't right." Mishra also pointed out the silence over a politician's recent meeting with 'anti-India elements abroad.' He said, "If the PM visits the CJI, instead of appreciating the good coordination between judiciary and executive, it is being objected to," he added.
Raut had raised concerns about the impartiality of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud followed a Ganesh Aarti that involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Raut questioned the Chief Justice's ability to remain unbiased in a major ongoing case in Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu has challenged the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker's ruling. The ruling had declared the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the 'real' Shiv Sena.
The incident that sparked Raut's concerns occurred during the Ganpati festival when Prime Minister Modi visited Chief Justice Chandrachud's residence, and the two jointly performed a Ganesh Aarti. According to Raut, this interaction raises doubts about the Chief Justice's impartiality. He pointed out the unusual nature of the Prime Minister's visit.
He said, "Look, it is the Ganpati festival. How many people's houses has the Prime Minister visited so far? I don't have the information. Ganesh festival is celebrated in many places in Delhi, but the Prime Minister went to the Chief Justice's house, and the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice together performed the Aarti."
Raut also expressed concern because the Maharashtra case, which involves allegations against the current state government, is being reviewed by Chief Justice Chandrachud. He suggested that the Chief Justice's proximity to the Prime Minister, who is a party in the case, could undermine public confidence in the judiciary. "Our knowledge of God is such that if the custodians of the Constitution meet political leaders in this manner, then people have doubts," Raut said, adding that the Prime Minister should not have such close interactions with the Chief Justice.
Raut believes that the Chief Justice should distance himself from the case due to his visible connection with the central government. "The Prime Minister is a party in our case. The Central Government and the head of the Central Government come with the judge and sit in the house. So the judge should separate himself from this case and should do Not Before Me because the Prime Minister is a party. His relations with him are openly visible in this case," Raut said.