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 expressed his surprise over the videography of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the residence of CJI D.Y. Chandrachud. In a viral video that has been doing the rounds, PM Modi can be seen doing Aarti on the occasion of Ganesh Puja at CJI’s Delhi residence.

“My religion and my way of expressing myself in the context of my beliefs is a private matter, not a public matter. Therefore, there should be no videography or photographs allowed to be made public. That’s just not on, especially in the context of people holding the highest positions in the country”, said Sibal. 

Making it clear that he is speaking in his personal capacity, Sibal said that such instances lead to unnecessary gossip. 

“I am not here as the President of the Bar Association of India. In fact, I have not discussed it with any member of the Bar. I decided because my conscience told me that I must make a statement in my individual capacity, said the veteran lawyer in a media statement. 

“I have seen the greatest of Judges, both past and present. And we are passionate about the institution—not passionate about any individual but about the institution. I have great respect for the present Chief Justice. I can say without hesitation that he is a man of great personal integrity, but I was really surprised when I saw this clip that was going viral, and I have some issues on principle.”

“No public functionary, whoever it may be-especially those who hold the highest office in the country, whether it is the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, or the Chief Justice of India- should publicise a private event. I am sure the Chief Justice may not have known that this was being publicised”, he added. 

“Sibal’s main concern over the clip was the gossip around it. The issue is not an individual—the issue is what impact such a clip has on the minds of the people”, he stated.  

The distinguished Senior Advocate requested the media to avoid speculation and disproportionate blowing up of the incident in his concluding remarks.