Grave danger when judges perceive themselves as deities in temples of justice: CJI DY Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday expressed his reservations about people calling the courts "temples of justice" and said there was a "grave danger" in judges perceiving themselves as deities of those temples.

CJI Chandrachud made the comments while addressing a regional conference of the National Judicial Academy in Kolkata.

"When we are addressed as 'Honour' or as 'Lordship' or 'Ladyship', there is a very grave danger ... and people say that the court is a temple of justice. There is a grave danger that we perceive ourselves as deities in those temples. Therefore speaking for myself, though I have my own set of personal values which are deeply personal to me, I am a little reticent when I am told that this is a temple of justice because temple postulates that judges are in the position of a deity," Justice Chandrachud said.

CJI added that he would rather want to see the judges as those who serve the people with compassion and empathy.

"I would rather recast the role of the judge as a server of the people. When you regard yourselves as people who are there to serve others then you bring in the notion of compassion, of empathy, of judging others but not being judgmental about others".

The CJI made the remarks shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also present at the event, equated courts with the places of worship.

"Judiciary is an important temple for us. It is just is like mandir, masjid, gurudwara and girja (church). It is our supreme authority for delivery of justice to people ... the last frontier for getting justice and upholding constitutional rights," Banerjee said.

Banerjee also called for the judiciary to be made free of any political bias, stressing that the courts are people's only hope for saving the democracy and constitution.

"It is not my intention to manhandle or humiliate anyone. But my submission and my kind submission is that please see that no political bias is there in judiciary. Judiciary must be pure, honest, absolutely pure, sacred and let the people do the Pooja," the Chief Minister said.