On the final day of his tenure as the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud delivered a message from the ceremonial bench and acknowledged the reality that he would no longer serve as the country’s top judge. 

“I won’t be able to deliver justice from tomorrow, but I am content,” he said. 

Chief Justice Chandrachud, who assumed office on November 9, 2022, bid farewell to his position today after his two-year term ended. Recalling a lighthearted moment with his registrar judicial the previous evening, he shared, “When my registrar judicial asked me what time the ceremonial should begin, I said 2 pm, thinking it would allow us to wrap up a lot of pending items. But I wondered to myself-will anyone actually be here at 2 pm on a Friday afternoon? Or will I just be left looking at myself on the screen?” 

Reflecting on his career, he described the role of judges as akin to pilgrims, coming to court each day with a commitment to serve. “The work we do can make or break cases,” he said. He paid tribute to the “great judges who have adorned this court and passed on the baton,” adding that he felt reassured leaving the bench in the capable hands of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, whom he praised as an able leader.

“If I have ever hurt anyone in the court, please forgive me for that,” he said, quoting the Jain phrase “Michhami Dukkadam,” which translates to “May all my misdeeds be forgiven.” 

Lawyers and members of the bar gathered to honour the outgoing Chief Justice, describing him as “a rock star” of the judiciary.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who has been nominated as his successor and will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, said, “I never had the chance to appear in Justice Chandrachud’s court, but what he has done for the marginalised and the needy is beyond compare.”

He added a personal anecdote about Justice Chandrachud’s fondness for samosas, remarking that they were served in nearly every meeting, though the Chief Justice himself refrained from eating them.

Justice Chandrachud’s tenure saw many changes within the court, from the establishment of Mitti Cafe, a facility empowering individuals with disabilities, to a dedicated bar room for women lawyers, alongside other beautification projects for the Supreme Court premises.

In his two-year term, Justice Chandrachud authored a series of landmark judgments. Notably, he presided over the Constitution Bench upholding the revocation of Article 370, which redefined the politics of Jammu and Kashmir, ordering that elections be conducted by September 2024 and stressing the need to restore statehood “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”

In another significant judgement, Justice Chandrachud declined to alter the Special Marriage Act to recognise same-sex marriages, deferring to the legislature. However, he insisted on the right of the LGBTQ+ community to be treated with dignity, free from discrimination. 

Justice Chandrachud also led the decision to dismantle the controversial electoral bonds scheme, mandating greater transparency in political financing and ordering the State Bank of India to cease issuing electoral bonds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the BJP’s Maharashtra election campaign Friday in Dhule in the northwestern part of the state – which is dominated by tribal communities – with an attack on the Congress for hatching a “conspiracy” against marginalised groups.

The Prime Minister claimed the Congress is bent on pitting one caste against the other, and so undermining each community’s chances to develop and progress. He urged voters to re-elect the Mahayuti alliance, stating, “Ek hain to safe hain (if you are united, then you are safe).”

“A dangerous game of pitting one caste against another is being played by the Congress… and this game is being played because the Congress never wants to see Dalits or Backward Classes or tribal community members progress in life. This is the history of the Congress,” he declared.

Mr Modi also declared that only the Mahayuti – which consists of the BJP and the Shiv Sena and NCP factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – could guarantee development in the state, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi would scrap existing welfare measures and schemes.

“I appeal to you… vote for the Mahayuti so it will take Maharashtra to new heights in the next five years. Only a Mahayuti government can provide the good governance Maharashtra needs.”

“The Maha Vikas Aghadi vehicle has neither wheels nor brakes… and there is even a fight for the driver’s seat,” the Prime Minister said, jabbing at his rivals over protracted seat-share talks.

The MVA – which consists of the Congress and the Sena and NCP groups led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – had struggled to reach an amicable deal for Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly seats. Last week, as the clock ticked past the deadline for nominations, it emerged the bloc had not formally named candidates for 11 seats; the Mahayuti had four on its plate.

However, days later Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala rubbished any talk of discord and said a full seat-share deal had been reached and nominations for all seats completed.

He acknowledged “misunderstanding” between the MVA members but insisted there were no rifts between the allies as a result of that uncertainty.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit back for his party and the MVA hours later in Jharkhand, which is also voting this month, warning voters the BJP is trying to snatch their “jal, jungle, jameen (water, forest, land)” from tribal community members in both states.

“PM Modi calls you ‘vanvasi’ (forest dwellers) as the BJP believes land, forest, and water belong to it… the RSS (the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological mentor), and capitalists. The BJP believes in grabbing tribal land on the pretext of ‘development’… it wants to snatch ‘jal, jungle, jameen’ from you,” Mr Gandhi declared in Jharkhand’s Simdega.

The backward classes, he said, were being “held back” by the ruling party, which had also stonewalled demands for a caste census. The Congress and the INDIA bloc have repeatedly called for an enumeration of caste populations in the country to help design effective policies.

Mr Gandhi has repeatedly said “90 per cent of the people are sitting outside the system and have no stake in governance”, and that a caste census, and a socio-economic survey, are needed to ensure the development of marginalised communities and women.

“We want the data. How many Dalits, OBCs, tribals, women, minorities… are there. We are trying to protect the Constitution through this demand for a caste census,” he said.

Jharkhand votes in two phases – on November 13 and November 20 – and Maharashtra in one phase on November 20. Results for both states will be out on November 23.

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Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s poll promise to scrap the ambitious project to redevelop Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia, has sparked a strong response from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Releasing his party’s manifesto for the Maharashtra election, Mr Thackeray had said yesterday that the Dharavi project will have ramifications on Mumbai and will be scrapped if he is elected to power. Mr Shinde, his former aide who sided with the BJP to topple the earlier Thackeray government, said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – an alliance of three parties including the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (UBT) – knows nothing apart from staying projects.

“Do they know anything except putting a stay on projects and discontinuing them? What else can we expect from MVA? 1-2 lakh people stay in poor conditions in Dharavi, while these leaders stay in big houses,” the Chief Minister told reporters.

The MVA is contesting the upcoming Maharashtra polls together to unseat the Mahayuti – an alliance of the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction led by Mr Shinde and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.

Asserting that his government has housing for all, Mr Shinde accused the MVA of copying their schemes and challenged them to talk about the work they have done.

“I openly challenge the MVA to talk about the work they have done. They are only copying the schemes we have announced. They are liars and the public will not believe them. The public has decided that the Mahayuti will form the government with a thumping majority,” he said.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project – which is set to give the largest slum in Asia spanning over 250 hectares – is a joint venture between the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group.

Eligible residents will be given 350-sq-ft flats in the area after the project is completed. Those not eligible will be rehoused elsewhere in the city. Schools, community halls, and hospitals will also be built as part of the redevelopment project.

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