CJI BR Gavai Expresses Displeasure Over Absence of Top Maharashtra Officials During His First Visit

CJI BR Gavai Expresses Displeasure Over Absence of Top Maharashtra Officials During His First Visit

Dadar, Mumbai — May 18, 2025:
Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Sunday voiced strong disappointment over the absence of Maharashtra’s top administrative and police officials during his first official visit to the state after being appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India.

CJI Gavai, who hails from Maharashtra, was in Mumbai to attend a grand felicitation ceremony organized by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa at Dadar. However, in a pointed remark during his speech, he noted the conspicuous absence of Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla, and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti upon his arrival.

“Only one thing I want to say at this point is: we say the three pillars of democracy are equal and every organ of the institution must reciprocate and give respect to other organs,” CJI Gavai said in Marathi, addressing a distinguished gathering of senior judges, lawyers, and dignitaries.

The CJI emphasized that his concern was not about protocol but about institutional respect.
“If the Chief Secretary of the state, DGP or Mumbai Police Commissioner do not want to come (to receive) when the CJI — who is from Maharashtra — has arrived for the first time, it’s up to them to think about it. I’m not insisting on protocol, but it is about respect by other organs of the institution to the judiciary…”

The comment stirred immediate attention, especially given the significance of the occasion and the presence of prominent members of the legal fraternity.

Interestingly, shortly after CJI Gavai made the remarks, Chief Secretary Saunik, DGP Shukla, and Commissioner Bharti were seen accompanying him during his visit to Chaitya Bhoomi, the resting place of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, indicating a swift response by the administration.

The felicitation ceremony was chaired by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe of the Bombay High Court and attended by Supreme Court Judges Justice Surya Kant, Justice Abhay S. Oka, Justice Dipankar Datta, and Justice Prasanna B. Varale. Also present were Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar, Justice A.S. Chandurkar, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere, Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, Additional Solicitor General Anil C. Singh, and Advocate General of Goa Devidas Pangam.

CJI Gavai’s remarks underline the need for better coordination and mutual respect among the pillars of democracy — the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary — especially during ceremonial and official engagements involving constitutional dignitaries.