The Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Thursday dismissed apprehensions of any legislative interference in the judiciary, saying he had never faced any political pressure from any government in his 24 years as a judge. He was responding to a question during a session organised by the Oxford Union.

"Judges in India are trained to adjudicate disputes in a manner that courts are able to take decisions based on constitutional traditions as opposed to prevailing sentiments," the CJI said. Responding to a question on political pressure, he said, "If you are asking me in the sense of government pressure, I tell you that in the past 24 years that I have been a judge, I have never faced any political pressure. The democratic processes that we follow in India include that we live a life that is isolated from the political branch of the government."  Justice Chandrachud further said, if you mean political pressure in the broader sense that a judge is feeling the impact of a decision that may have political ramifications. So obviously when you are deciding on constitutional matters, judges should be aware of the impact of their decisions. I believe this is not political pressure. Talking about social pressure, he said that judges often think about the social impact in their decisions. The CJI said, the cases we deal with involve profound social ramifications. As judges, I believe it is our obligation to be aware of the impact of our decisions on the social order.