When Judges Behave Like Politicians: The Crisis of Judicial Propriety

The highest chair in the Indian judiciary was never meant to compete with the privileges of political office.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

It was meant to rise above them. Yet, the decision of former Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud to overstay in the official CJI residence, Bungalow No. 5, Krishna Menon Marg, more than eight months after retirement, even after the expiry of the permissible period and its extension, has caused visible damage to the image of an institution that has long projected itself as the guardian of constitutional values.

This isn't a routine breach of housing protocol. It's a symptom. A symptom of how the institutional culture of entitlement has now permeated even the judiciary—a domain that has historically demanded restraint, dignity, and a clear separation from executive indulgence. When the Supreme Court's own registry is compelled to write to the Union government, seeking the urgent vacation of the CJI's official residence from its former occupant, it indicates not just discomfort but a systemic breakdown in internal discipline.