'Pressure' on judges from Modi govt? Ex-CJI Chandrachud counters BBC question, cites Lok Sabha results

Former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud

Former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has rejected fears of India turning into a "one-party" state under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP and cited the 2024 Lok Sabha election results to make his point.

During an interview with BBC's "HARDtalk", the former CJI was asked whether he personally faced any political pressure from the Modi government during his tenure.

The journalist cited a New York Times editorial alleging that India is turning into a "one-party state" with BJP influencing the courts to shield its members while targeting rivals—as claimed by opposition leaders.

The former CJI rejected the NYT piece as "completely wrong" and said that the results of the general election in 2024 proved the power of states as well as the regional political outfits.

"If you look at the states in India, the states are where the regional aspirations and identities have come to the fore, and so many of our states in India ... you have regional political parties which have done exceptionally well and they are ruling those states," he said.

When questioned about Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case, the former judge pointed out that the apex court later paused the judgment.

"If you look at the fact that there is a decision of a trial court in India, but that judgment was stayed by SC, which meant that the political leader you are talking about could resume his activities in Parliament," he said.

The former CJI also pointed out that the courts in India have sent a clear message that they will uphold personal liberties while citing the number of people granted bail.

"Higher courts, particularly Supreme Court, have sent out a clear message that we are here to safeguard personal liberties, in individual cases, there may be a difference of personal opinion, but the fact of the matter is that the Supreme Court has been at the vanguard of personal liberty. This is the reason why we have the faith of the people," he said.

Justice Chandrachud also spoke about PM Modi's visit to his house for Ganesh Chaturthi, which prompted criticism from opposition leaders.

He said that not much should be made out of elementary courtesies of Constitutional office.

"I think our system is mature enough to understand that elementary courtesies which are observed between high Constitutional functionaries have nothing to do with the way they dispose of cases," he told the interviewer.

He pointed out that apex court delivered multiple judgments before and after PM Modi's visit that were against the government.

"The role of the judiciary in a democratic society is not the role of the Opposition in parliament. We are here to decide cases and act in accordance with the rule of law," he said.