'It's about respect': CJI Gavai flags absence of officials in Maharashtra

CJI BR Gavai expressed disappointment over the absence of Maharashtra's top officials during his first visit to the state after taking charge as the 52nd Chief Justice of India

Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai voiced discontent on Sunday over the absence of Maharashtra’s top bureaucratic and police officials during his maiden visit to the state after assuming office as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. 

CJI Gavai was in Mumbai to attend a felicitation ceremony organised by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa at Dadar. Notably, neither the state’s Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, nor the Mumbai Police Commissioner were present to receive him on his arrival, Bar and Bench reported. 

Addressing a gathering that included judges of the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court, CJI Gavai raised concerns about the lack of respect shown to the judiciary by other pillars of democracy.     

 

  “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,” the CJI said in Marathi. 

He clarified that his concerns were not rooted in formal protocol, but in the spirit of 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,” he said, as quoted by Bar and Bench. 

Referring to his personal connection to the state, he added, “When a chief of an organ of the Constitution is visiting the State for the first time, and he too belongs to that State, whether the treatment given was right or not — they themselves should think. I don’t want to go too much into small things. But I mentioned it because people should know.”

 

Top officials seen accompanying CJI after remarks

Following CJI’s comments, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, DGP Rashmi Shukla, and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti were seen accompanying him during his visit to Chaitya Bhoomi, the memorial of BR Ambedkar in Dadar.   

 

Protocol for receiving CJI on a visit

The Chief Justice of India is to be received by the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) of the state upon arrival, according to an established protocol. In major cities, the Police Commissioner is also expected to be present.

 

Protocol rationale

-When the head of a constitutional institution such as the CJI visits a state — especially for the first time after assuming office — it is customary and expected that the state’s top administrative and police officials personally receive him as a mark of respect.

 

Additional details (state-specific variations)

-In some states, High Court protocol guidelines may also require the District and Sessions Judge or Chief Judicial Magistrate to receive the CJI at district borders or airports, especially if the visit occurs outside court hours.

-In metropolitan areas, the Registrar General or Registrar (Protocol) of the High Court may also be involved in receiving the CJI at airports or railway stations.