Supreme Court Urges Ex-CJI Chandrachud To Vacate Official Bungalow After Deadline Breach

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“Utterly Cognisant of My Duties”: SC Tells Ex-CJI Chandrachud to Vacate Bungalow, Citing Expired Keep

New Delhi: In a uncommon and severe transfer, the Supreme Court docket of India has written to the Union authorities, asking for the instant eviction of former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud from his official residence at Bungalow No. 5, Krishna Menon Marg in Lutyens’ Delhi.

The court docket’s administration stated that Justice Chandrachud has stayed on the bungalow past the allowed time restrict underneath the principles and that the home have to be returned to the court docket’s housing pool with none delay.

A letter dated July 1, 2025, despatched by a Supreme Court docket official to the Ministry of Housing and City Affairs (MoHUA), said clearly:

“I’m to request you to take the possession of Bungalow No. 5, Krishna Menon Marg, from Hon’ble Dr. Justice DY Chandrachud with none additional delay as not solely the permission that was granted for retention… has expired on thirty first Might, 2025, but additionally the interval of six months offered in Rule 3B of the 2022 Guidelines has expired on tenth Might, 2025.”

Justice Chandrachud had served because the fiftieth Chief Justice of India from November 2022 to November 2024. After retiring, he continued to stay on the Kind VIII bungalow for nearly eight months.

Nevertheless, his successors—Justice Sanjiv Khanna and the present CJI, Justice Bhushan R. Gavai—didn’t transfer into this residence and selected to remain of their earlier official bungalows.

Responding to the difficulty, Justice Chandrachud stated the delay was as a consequence of private causes, which had been already knowledgeable to the Supreme Court docket administration.

He stated,

“I’ve already been allotted an lodging by the federal government on lease and that home is at the moment underneath renovation as a result of it was shut for the final at the least two years. I knowledgeable the Supreme Court docket about this allotment, making it clear I’ll shift the very subsequent day that the home is prepared,”

Shortly after his retirement, on December 18, 2024, Justice Chandrachud had written to then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, requesting permission to remain within the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow till April 30, 2025.

Within the letter, he talked about that though the federal government had allotted him one other bungalow—No. 14 on Tughlak Street—renovation work there had been delayed as a consequence of pollution-related development restrictions underneath the Graded Response Motion Plan (GRAP-IV).

He wrote,

“It might be extra handy if I’m permitted to retain the prevailing lodging at 5 Krishna Menon Marg until 30 April 2025,”

and supplied to surrender the Tughlak Street bungalow in order that it may very well be given to a different choose.

Based on Rule 3B of the Supreme Court docket Judges (Modification) Guidelines, 2022, a retired Chief Justice is entitled to remain in Kind VII lodging—one degree beneath Kind VIII—for a most interval of six months.

Regardless of this, MoHUA allowed Justice Chandrachud to remain within the Kind VIII bungalow from December 11, 2024, to April 30, 2025, on the cost of ₹5,430 monthly as licence charges. This approval was formally conveyed to the Supreme Court docket by a letter dated February 13, 2025.

Later, Justice Chandrachud made one other oral request to increase his keep till Might 31, 2025, which was agreed to by the then CJI with a situation that no additional extension could be permitted, particularly since different judges, who had been not too long ago appointed, had been staying in visitor homes or ready for their very own official bungalows.

The Supreme Court docket’s July 1 letter identified that the prolonged deadline had already handed, and Rule 3B permits solely six months of post-retirement keep in a Kind VII home—not Kind VIII—making Justice Chandrachud’s continued keep a violation of the principles.

The letter additionally talked about that whereas the extension was earlier granted underneath “particular circumstances,” the understanding was that the residence could be vacated by the top of Might.

Now that the deadline is over, the court docket has formally requested the Ministry to

“take possession with none additional delay”

and make sure the identical to the court docket.

This formal request marks a uncommon occasion the place the Supreme Court docket itself has intervened in a matter involving a former Chief Justice and demanded the return of its official residence.

Whereas it isn’t uncommon for some leeway to be given to retired officers, a direct letter searching for instant possession is unprecedented.

Justice Chandrachud defined that the delay in shifting was as a consequence of particular wants of his household, particularly his daughters.

He stated,

“I’ve two daughters with particular wants, which is why it has taken me a while to search for a home applicable for his or her wants,”

He additional revealed that each daughters endure from severe medical circumstances.

“My daughters have extreme comorbidities and genetic issues – significantly nemaline myopathy, for which they’re being handled by specialists at AIIMS. I completely perceive it’s my private situation. However I must also make it clear why it has taken me so lengthy to search for a home, and that is one thing I’ve already mentioned with the judges and the officers within the Supreme Court docket.”

He assured that the difficulty could be resolved very quickly.

Justice Chandrachud stated,

“It’s a matter of just some days and I’ll shift… I’ve occupied the very best judicial workplace and I’m utterly cognisant of my duties. To make certain, former CJIs prior to now have been allowed prolonged time to retain authorities lodging post-retirement, typically to facilitate transition or tackle private exigencies,”

He additionally talked about that he had written a letter on April 28 to then CJI Justice Khanna to tell him that he was looking for an appropriate home as a consequence of his daughters’ particular necessities and had requested for an extension until June 30, 2025.