New Delhi: Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s tenure is coming to an end. It was unusual for two reasons. Firstly, most CJIs have short terms, making his two-year term stand out. Secondly, despite functioning in very polarised times, he made consequential judgments.
In the last months of his tenure, the outgoing CJI drew criticism for saying he prayed to God ahead of his landmark Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid judgment. Chandrachud was part of the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi-led five-judge Supreme Court bench, which settled the fractious issue in 2019, paving the way for the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
Chandrachud also drew criticism for hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his private residence for Ganpati Puja celebrations, raising questions over the separation of the state and religion.
From the Article 370 judgment to the legacy-defining electoral bonds case, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta, in Episode 1542 of CutTheClutter, unpacks some of the CJI’s stellar orders and much-criticised judgments from a judicial track record that annoyed both sides.
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