Sanjay Raut: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut raised questions over the impartiality of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the CJI’s residence for Ganpati Puja the other day. Sanjay Raut even raised questions whether the Chief Justice could deliver a fair judgment in the ongoing case on the legitimacy of Shiv Sena factions in Maharashtra, the matter still under review by the bench headed by Chandrachud.
The Fight Over Shiv Sena’s Identity
The above case was filed by Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sunil Prabhu, wherein the ruling by Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar identified Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena. The judgment is very crucial, as far as political consequences for the state are concerned, and Raut’s statements have given a new dimension to this legal fight.
During the Ganpati festival, when Prime Minister Modi went to Chief Justice Chandrachud’s home and they performed an Aarti together, Sanjay Raut termed it a conflict of interest and asked why the Prime Minister visited the house of the Chief Justice on the occasion of the above festival. “How many people’s houses has the Prime Minister visited for Ganpati Puja? The Prime Minister went to the Chief Justice’s house, and they performed Aarti together,” Raut said.
Raut Questions PM Modi-CJI Interaction
Arguing that the interaction between the head of the government and the Chief Justice might lead to suspicion in the Judiciary being impartial, he said, “When the case at the Maharashtra government was at review stage, and the Prime Minister goes to the residence of the Chief Justice, a question mark is raised on the wrong signal being projected.” Sanjay Raut said the interference of the Prime Minister in the case makes the meeting suspect.
Raut demanded that Chief Justice Chandrachud step aside from the hearing of the case. “The little knowledge of God which we have is that if the custodians of the Constitution meet political leaders in this way, people have doubts.” He elaborated that the perceived relationship between the judge and a party to a proceeding resulted in an expectation to step aside:.
Criticism of Case Delays
Sanjay Raut further berated the delays in the case, “Dates have been given one after the other for the last three years. An illegal government is running.” He also accused the Prime Minister of having a vested interest in continuing to keep the “present government in Maharashtra” going, especially after the splits in parties like the NCP and Shiv Sena.
Concluding his argument, Raut again requested the Chief Justice to recuse himself from the case so that fairness was ensured, as this would uphold the tradition of equity in the judiciary.