Maharashtra govt orders inquiry into protocol lapse during CJI Gavai's Mumbai visit

State protocol minister Jaykumar Rawal ordered the probe and asked the department to submit a factual report to him soon

Mumbai: A day after granting permanent guest status to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), BR Gavai, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the absence of top officials and other lapses during his recent visit to the city.

CJI Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (ANI)

State protocol minister Jaykumar Rawal ordered the probe and asked the department to submit a factual report to him soon.

“It is the government’s responsibility to uphold protocol for visiting VVIPs,” he said. “As Maharashtra is a leading state in the country and remains under national observation, it is imperative to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.”

Justice Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd CJI on May 14. During his visit to the city on Sunday, he had expressed disappointment over the absence of top administrative officials at his felicitation ceremony and the state lawyers’ conference.

“If the chief secretary of the state, the director general of police or the Mumbai police commissioner do not want to turn up when the CJI, who is from Maharashtra (Amravati), visits for the first time, they should introspect on their acts,” Gavai had said.

Subsequently, on Tuesday, the state government designated the CJI as a permanent state guest in Maharashtra. A new set of guidelines was also formulated for officials to follow during visits by the CJI to the state.

In a press release issued by the Supreme Court on Tuesday evening, the CJI said, “A trivial issue should not be blown out of proportion. CJI has requested everyone that the matter be given a quietus.”