DY Chandrachud, who has recently retired from the post of Chief Justice of India (CJI), wants to stay away from judicial work for the time being. In a podcast, the former CJI said, ‘I want to teach, I want to connect with young people…’ In conversation with Smita Prakash, Justice Chandrachud also reacted to the remarks of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Rahul had said that the opposition now has to do the work of the judiciary also. The former CJI said that the judiciary is for ‘review of laws’, political opposition has a separate place in democracy.
What did the former CJI say on Rahul’s statement?
Rahul Gandhi had recently said, ‘We are working alone on behalf of the media, investigative agencies and the judiciary. This is the reality of India. When former CJI Chandrachud was asked a question in the podcast, he said, ‘I do not want to debate on this issue with the leader of the opposition, because we have not come here to talk on this topic. But I want to say that people should not believe that the judiciary should play the role of opposition in Parliament or state assemblies. There is often a misconception that the judiciary should play the role of opposition in the legislatures, which is not true. We have come here to investigate the laws.
‘People take aim from the shoulders of the judiciary’
The former judge further said, ‘We have been entrusted with the responsibility of examining the action of the executive whether it is in accordance with the law and whether it is in accordance with the Constitution. There is a separate place for political opposition in democracy. And what people try to do is to use the judiciary and take the shot off the shoulders of the judiciary and try to turn the court into a venue for political opposition.’
What did you say on meeting PM Modi?
When the former CJI was asked how his interactions were with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, he said that ‘as human beings, it is natural to interact during some official meetings.’ The former judge said, ‘There are times when you talk to the leader of the opposition also. For example, you know, many of our laws require that the selection committee for appointment to a particular post should include the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition. Now, you know, you discuss what you have to discuss and you come to your own conclusions. And when you come to those conclusions, you’re human, right? You will then spend 10 minutes over a cup of tea, talking about everything from cricket to films.