Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice BR Gavai has expressed his serious displeasure over the failure of the Maharashtra Chief Secretary, the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) and the Commissioner of Police of Mumbai to welcome him during his first official visit to his home state after taking over the highest judicial position in the country.
Justice Gavai visited Maharashtra on Sunday, to attend a felicitation ceremony organized by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa at Dadar, Mumbai.
Addressing the gathering in Marathi, the CJI said that the three pillars of democracy were equal and every organ of the institution must reciprocate and give respect to other organs.
He further said that he was not insisting on protocol, but only stressing on the importance of other pillars of democracy showing respect to the judiciary.
When a chief of an organ of the Constitution was visiting his home state for the first time, if the Chief Secretary of the state, DGP or the Mumbai Police Commissioner did not want to receive him, it was up to them to think whether the treatment given was right or not.
Noting that he did not want go into small things, the CJI said he mentioned the matter because people should know.
Shortly after the CJI made these remarks, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, DGP Rashmi Shukla, and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti reached Chaitya Bhoomi, the memorial of Dr BR Ambedkar at Dadar, to accompany CJI Gavai.
The felicitation ceremony was chaired by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe of the Bombay High Court.
Those present on the occasion included Supreme Court judges Justice Surya Kant, Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Prasanna B Varale; Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar; Bombay High Court judges Justice A S Chandurkar and Justice Revati Mohite-Dere; Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra; Additional Solicitor General Anil C Singh; and Advocate General of Goa Devidas Pangam