The Chief Justice of India’s insistence on holding a conference of Supreme Court Judges on Good Friday this year raises disturbing questions.
Questioned by Justice Kurian Joseph on the scheduling of an important conference on Good Friday, which happens to be one of the most significant days for believing Christians, the CJI HL Dattu rebuked his concerns, and asked for ‘institutional’ interests to be placed above ‘individual’ interests. Justice Joseph had pointed out that such Conferences are never held on Diwali or Holi or Eid.
Is respect for religious festivals of the minority community only an ‘individual’s’ interest, or is it a right guaranteed by the Constitution of India, of which the judiciary is the custodian?
Last year, the Modi Government sought to replace the Christmas Day with ‘Good Governance Day’. Since then, churches have been attacked and vandalized in several places. Aggressive ghar wapasi (forced re-conversion) programmes are being organized by the Sangh Parivar on the occasions of Christmas and Easter. In such a backdrop, the CJI’s insensitive remark may be construed as encouragement of the deliberate alienation of and attacks on minorities.
