Harmful to institution; CJI may not have known PM Modi puja visit would be publicised: Kapil Sibal

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the residence of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud to attend a Ganapati puja has provided people an opportunity to gossip about the judiciary..Sibal said it was a private matter which should not have been publicised. In the context of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, he said,"I request the Prime Minister of India to not make a spectacle of these events because there have been Maharashtrian Chief Justices in the past. It is not the first time that there is a Chief Justice from Maharashtra and in the context that there is going to be an election in Maharashtra, that is not an opportune time for the Prime Minister to have made a public spectacle of a private ceremony.".The veteran lawyer added that CJI Chandrachud may not have known that the video of the function would be publicised. Regardless, he said that someone in the highest position of the country should not put himself in a situation where people can gossip about the institution and start speculating."Quite frankly, I was taken aback. I have been in the Supreme Court, in this institution for over 50 years. I have seen the greatest of judges, both past and the present. We are passionate about the institution, not passionate about any individual, but the institution. I have great respect for the present Chief Justice. I can say without any hesitation that he is a man of great personal integrity," the senior counsel said at the beginning of a press briefing on Thursday..While expressing concern over the development, Sibal also requested the media to not blow it out of proportion and speculate on personal motives..The veteran lawyer said that he was "really surprised" when he saw the clip that has gone viral online. He then explained the "issues on principle" he had with such a meeting."No public functionary, whoever it may be, especially those who hold the highest post in India - the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India - should publicise a private event. I am sure that maybe the Chief Justice may not have known that this was being publicised. That said, the second thing is the Prime Minister of India should never have shown his interest to go to such a private event, because the Prime Minister and those he must have consulted should and must have told them that this may send a wrong signal," he said.He added that the issue was not of an individual, but what impact such a video has on the minds of the people..Sibal, who is also a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, further said,"It is not a public matter and therefore should be no videography, photographs which then should be allowed to be made public... especially in the context of people holding highest positions in the country because what happens is it sort of ignites a debate which is unnecessary and harmful to the institution." Sibal stressed that there may be no motivation behind such participation, but the speculation that follows is not good for the institution."Lastly, the Court is deciding day in and day out issues relating to executive's actions and if this kind of viral clip is circulated, then it may have implications which are not fair to individuals concerned," he added.He added that it also sends a signal to the courts across India."Once you do this, what message does it send to those to High Courts in India and to the judiciary functioning at various levels? They also look upon these things and therefore that sends a signal which is also unfortunate. So my view is that it should best have been avoided."