Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday said judiciary in India is fiercely independent but it stands with the government only when it comes to one issue - budgeting and infrastructure for courts.

Collaboration between the state and the judiciary is in the interest of providing modern infrastructure for citizens, he underscored.

"Let there be no doubt that judges across the Supreme Court and High Courts exercise their functions with fiercest sense of independence. But when it comes to budgeting or infrastructure, we stand with the government. These are not private projects for the judges," the CJI said.

He was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the new Bombay High Court complex, at an event organised at Taj Lands End in Mumbai.

The statement from CJI comes close on the heels of criticism over the recent meeting of him and the Prime Minister at the former's residence for Ganesh pooja.

Supreme Court judges Justices BR Gavai, Abhay S Oka, Ujjal Bhuyan, Dipankar Datta and Prasanna B Varale were also present on the occasion.

The function was also graced by Bombay High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyay, Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Advocate General Birendra Saraf.