DY Chandrachud retired earlier this month as the Chief Justice of India. (File)
The society continues to view former judges as custodians of the law and their lifestyle must accord with the sense of faith the society has in the legal system, said DY Chandrachud, former Chief Justice of India when asked if retired judges should join politics.
He also asserted he would not do anything after 65 - the age of retirement for judges - which would cast an element of doubt on his work and the integrity of the judicial system.
"The society continues to look at you as a judge even when you lay down office. Therefore, things that are alright for other citizens, the society expects would not be alright for judges to do, even when they cease to be in office," he said at NDTV's Samvidhan@75 conclave.
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Justice Chandrachud, who retired earlier this month after serving as the country's top judge for two years, clarified he was not casting an aspersion on judges who joined politics in the past.
"It is for every judge to take a call on whether a decision that they take after retirement will have a bearing on how people assess the work they did as a judge. If a judge joins politics right after his retirement, it may give rise to a certain perception on what was the extent to which his judicial work was influenced by the politics he adapted," he added.
Acknowledging the role that the judicial institution plays in a judge's career, he said, "Whatever a former judge does - his behaviour or personal lifestyle - must accord with the sense of faith the society has in your institution."
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He said judges are also private citizens and are entitled to the same rights that any other citizen gets, but the society expects a higher standard of behaviour from them.
"There should be some element of consensus within the judiciary on what is acceptable and what not is acceptable. That consensus has still not evolved," he said, suggesting that sitting judges may discuss with former judges what would be the most appropriate for retired judges to do.