CJI Gavai flags absence of Chief Secretary, DGP during Maharashtra visit; Calls it protocol lapse
Stresses importance of constitutional respect between judiciary, executive, and legislature
Mumbai: Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai on Sunday expressed concern over a perceived lapse in protocol during his first visit to Maharashtra after assuming office. Addressing a felicitation event organised by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in Mumbai, the CJI noted the absence of senior state officials, including the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), and Mumbai Police Commissioner, upon his arrival in the city.
Gavai, who hails from Maharashtra and became the second Dalit to be appointed as the CJI, highlighted that the absence of these key officials was disappointing and warranted introspection.
“When a person from Maharashtra becomes the Chief Justice of India and visits Maharashtra for the first time, if the Chief Secretary, DGP, or the Police Commissioner don’t consider it appropriate to be present, then they need to reflect on that,” Gavai said.
Emphasising that protocol is not a ceremonial formality but a reflection of institutional respect, the Chief Justice remarked, “Protocols are not something new — it’s a question of the respect one constitutional body gives to another.”
He also spoke on the importance of maintaining mutual respect among the three pillars of democracy, the judiciary, legislature, and executive. “Such courtesies are indicative of how constitutional bodies value each other’s roles,” he added.
In a lighter vein, Gavai quipped that had another Chief Justice been in his place, the matter might have invoked Article 142 of the Constitution, a provision that empowers the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary for doing complete justice.
Justice Gavai assumed office as the Chief Justice of India last week, becoming only the second Dalit to hold the position in the country’s judicial history.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
