Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Monday said there was "nothing wrong" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his residence on Ganpati Puja and underscored the need for a "sense of maturity in political sphere" on such issues.
"The PM visited my residence for Ganpati Puja. There is absolutely nothing wrong as these are continuing meetings between the judiciary and the executive even at social level. We meet at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Republic Day, etc. We are in conversation with the prime minister and the ministers. This conversation does not involve the cases which we decide but life and society in general," Chandrachud said at an event organised by the Indian Express group.
The CJI said one had to respect that a dialogue took place as part of a robust inter-institutional mechanism, and separation of powers between judiciary and the executive did not mean the two not meeting.
On his statement that he prayed to God for the solution to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir dispute, Chandrachud shared he was a "person of faith" and equally respected all religions.