The historic 5, Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi, long recognized as the official residence of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), is set to lose its exclusive status as upcoming Chief Justices opt to stay elsewhere, marking a quiet shift in tradition.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
NEW DELHI: For almost twenty years, 5, Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi has been one of the most powerful addresses in India. It wasn’t just another Lutyens bungalow; it was the official residence of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), the head of the country’s judiciary.
But soon, this iconic address might lose this tag.
Justice Surya Kant, who will take over as the next Chief Justice, is reportedly not keen on moving into the traditional CJI residence. Instead, he plans to remain in his current government house, a small but telling shift from long-standing tradition.
Sources suggest the government has already allotted 5, Krishna Menon Marg to Justice Vikram Nath, who will succeed Justice Kant later. And when Justice B.V. Nagarathna, who will make history as India’s first woman CJI, takes over briefly after Justice Nath, she too is unlikely to move in; her tenure will last just over a month.
This isn’t a one-off decision. In fact, several recent Chief Justices, including Justice Sanjiv Khanna and current CJI B.R. Gavai, have skipped the designated residence altogether.
The trend perhaps started when Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, after his retirement, continued to live in the bungalow longer than usual, triggering controversy. Since then, it seems the aura around 5, Krishna Menon Marg has dimmed.
Interestingly, the change doesn’t end with the residence. For the last few years, another address, 7, Krishna Menon Marg, has been functioning as the Chief Justice’s office and secretariat. This shift began under Justice S.A. Bobde during the pandemic, when most court work was virtual.
But Justice Surya Kant reportedly isn’t keen on retaining that bungalow either. The government, which has been nudging the Supreme Court to move its confidential branches back to the Supreme Court Annexe, might finally get its wish.
Behind these decisions lies a practical problem: there just aren’t enough high-category bungalows (known as Type VIII) available in Lutyens’ Delhi for Supreme Court judges.
After the court’s strength was raised from 31 to 34 judges in 2019, the housing pool wasn’t expanded. As a result, several judges have had to stay temporarily in guesthouses or smaller Type VII homes, hardly ideal for officials of their stature.
