Amid a row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending a Ganpati puja at Chief Justice DY Chandrachud's residence, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday said those who held the highest office should not publicise a private event.

One should not lend oneself to a situation where people may gossip about an institution, he said.

Sibal, a senior advocate and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, also said the prime minister should never have shown his interest to attend such a private event because he and those he must have consulted should and must have told him that it might send a wrong signal.

Modi on Wednesday participated in the Ganpati puja at the Chief Justice Chandrachud's Delhi residence.

"Joined Ganesh puja at the residence of CJI, Justice DY Chandrachud ji. May Bhagwan Shri Ganesh bless us all with happiness, prosperity and wonderful health," Modi had said in a post on X, along with a photograph of him participating in the puja.

Reacting to the development, Sibal said, "I saw something being circulated on social media and, quite frankly, I was taken aback. I have been in the Supreme Court and in this institution for over 50 years. I have seen the greatest of judges, both past and present, and we are passionate about the institution." "I have great respect for the present Chief Justice. I can say without any hesitation that he is a man of great personal integrity. I was really surprised when I saw this clip that was going viral," he said at a press conference here.

Sibal said he had some issues on principle and asserted that no public functionary, especially those holding the highest office such as that of president, prime minister and Chief Justice of India, should not publicise a private event.

"I am sure that maybe the CJI may not have known that this was being publicised, that is sad. The second thing is that the prime minister of India should never have shown his interest to go to such a private event because the prime minister and those he must have consulted should and must have told him that this may send a wrong signal," Sibal said.

The issue is not individual, the issue is what impact such a clip has on the minds of people, he said.

If there is gossip around it then it is not fair on the institution, Sibal said.

"You should not lend yourself to be in a situation where people can gossip about the institution and start speculating," he stressed.

"My religion and my way of expressing myself in the context of my beliefs is a private matter, it is not a public matter. Therefore, there should be no videography or photographs...," he said.

Earlier, in a post on X, senior lawyer Indira Jaising said the Chief Justice had compromised the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary.

"Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI. The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of independence of the CJI from the executive," she said in her post.

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