Bar Council of India Chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra on Thursday defended PM Modi's visit to CJI DY Chandrachud's residence for Ganpati Puja and said some people are trying to defame an institution. Speaking exclusively to India TV, he said that some people are worried about PM Modi's visit to the CJI's residence as this was not a political meeting.
Saying that the government only made this video viral, he said if there was something confidential, they would have met without media attention, but they just met as part of the Ganpati Puja celebrations.
He said, "PM Modi went there, offered prayers, and returned. If there had been a different kind of meeting, it would have been done confidentially...mocking these meetings isn't right."
Talkign about why the video was made viral, Manan Mishra said if the video was not made viral, the Opposition would have made it a big issues and would have said the two of them met for some of the crucial secret talks.
Replying to a question on whether PM Modi's vsit to the CJI's residence is a threat to secularism, he said everything is a threat for the Opposition and added that when political leadeers go for iftar party, there is no threat to secularism.
Talking about Sanjay Raut's criticism of PM Modi, he said Sanjay Raut is a seasoned leader. I would not like to say much, but those who are involved in cases will object a little." He further stated that Raut's concerns would not affect the Supreme Court's judgement and added that the Ganesh Aarti was a 'social-religious function.'
Earlier in the day, Sanjay Raut questioned the impartiality of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud followed a Ganesh Aarti that involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Raut questioned the Chief Justice's ability to remain unbiased in a major ongoing case in Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu has challenged the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker's ruling. The ruling had declared the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the 'real' Shiv Sena.
