CJAR Raises Concerns Over State Sponsored Trips for CJI and Supreme Court Judges

India, March 6 – The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) has expressed serious concern over the use of state and privately arranged aircraft for official visits by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and several sitting Supreme Court judges. Led by senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, CJAR said that flights sponsored by the governments of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh could compromise public perception of judicial independence, as both states frequently appear as litigants before the apex court.

According to CJAR, a private chartered aircraft was used to transport judges and their staff from Delhi to Ahmedabad, followed by travel on a Gujarat government aircraft from Ahmedabad to Tirupati. The Andhra Pradesh government arranged two special aircraft for six Supreme Court judges and some family members for onward travel from Tirupati to Vijayawada and then back to Delhi.

CJAR emphasized that accepting such travel arrangements beyond lawful entitlements may raise concerns of judicial propriety, the appearance of undue privilege, and potential influence over judicial decision-making.

The organization referred to the “Restatement of Values of Judicial Life” adopted by the Supreme Court in 1997, which calls for judges to uphold high standards of probity, avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, and maintain public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.

CJAR has called on the concerned state governments and the Supreme Court to clarify whether these arrangements were part of regular protocol and to disclose who bore the associated costs. The group reiterated that the judiciary must remain free from any real or perceived influence to maintain public trust in its role as an impartial guardian of justice.