Shiv Sena Leader Sanjay Raut Questions Chief Justice’s Impartiality After PM Modi’s Visit
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 12: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has raised concerns about the impartiality of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the CJI’s house for Ganpati Puja. Raut questioned the Chief Justice’s ability to deliver a fair judgement in the ongoing Maharashtra case, where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu has challenged the ruling of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. The ruling held that the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.
During the Ganpati festival, Prime Minister Modi visited the Chief Justice’s residence, where they jointly performed an Aarti. Raut questioned this interaction and said, “Look, it is Ganpati festival. How many people’s houses has the Prime Minister visited so far? I don’t have the information. Ganesh festival is celebrated in many places in Delhi, but the Prime Minister went to the Chief Justice’s house, and the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice together performed the Aarti.”
Raut’s concerns arise from the fact that the Maharashtra case, involving allegations against the current state government, is under Chief Justice Chandrachud’s review. He said, “Our knowledge of God is such that if the custodians of the Constitution meet political leaders in this manner, then people have doubts.” He further argued that the Prime Minister, who is a party in the case, should not have such close interactions with the Chief Justice.
According to Raut, the Chief Justice should recuse himself from the case as his ‘relations’ with the head of the central government are ‘openly visible’. Raut also added, “Dates have been given one after the other for the last three years. An illegal government is running.” He criticised the breaking up of parties like the NCP and Shiv Sena and accused the Prime Minister of taking an interest in maintaining the Maharashtra government to ‘save it.’ Raut reiterated his call for Chief Justice Chandrachud to distance himself from the case. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “It seems to me that there is a tradition that in such cases, if there is a party and the judge has or is seen to have any relation with it, then he dissociates himself from that case. So, I feel that Chandrachud sahab (sir) should dissociate himself from it (real Shiv-Sena case).”
Doubts Revealed
Shiv Sena -: Shiv Sena is a political party in India, mainly active in the state of Maharashtra. It was founded by Bal Thackeray.
Sanjay Raut -: Sanjay Raut is a senior leader and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT) party. He is also a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
Chief Justice -: The Chief Justice is the head of the Supreme Court of India, which is the highest court in the country. The current Chief Justice is D.Y. Chandrachud.
Impartiality -: Impartiality means not being biased or not favoring one side over another. It is important for judges to be impartial to ensure fair decisions.
PM Modi -: PM Modi refers to Narendra Modi, who is the current Prime Minister of India. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Ganpati Puja -: Ganpati Puja is a Hindu festival where people worship Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god. It is especially popular in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra case -: The Maharashtra case refers to a legal dispute involving the Shiv Sena party in the state of Maharashtra. It is about which faction of the party is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.
Eknath Shinde -: Eknath Shinde is a politician in Maharashtra who leads a faction of the Shiv Sena party. There is a dispute over whether his faction is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.
Recuse -: To recuse means to remove oneself from participating in a legal case due to potential bias or conflict of interest. Sanjay Raut wants the Chief Justice to do this.
