In a rare move, the Supreme Court administration has written to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) requesting the immediate repossession of Bungalow No. 5, Krishna Menon Marg — the official residence designated for the sitting Chief Justice of India — currently occupied by former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, who retired in November 2024.
Justice Chandrachud, who served as the 50th Chief Justice of India, continues to reside in the Type VIII bungalow, despite the expiry of the retention period on May 31, 2025, and a statutory limit ending May 10, 2025, under Rule 3B of the Supreme Court Judges (Amendment) Rules, 2022. The July 1 letter from the apex court emphasized that both the extension and the six-month permissible occupancy post-retirement have lapsed, urging MoHUA to “take possession without any further delay.”
Justice Chandrachud responded by citing compelling personal reasons for the delay, including the special medical needs of his two daughters, both undergoing treatment for nemaline myopathy at AIIMS. He stated that he has already been allotted a new government accommodation on rent, which is currently under renovation after lying unused for years. He has assured the court that he will vacate the premises as soon as the new house is ready, describing it as a matter of “just a few days.”
Previously, he had sought and received permission to retain the Krishna Menon Marg residence until April 30, 2025, citing delays due to pollution-related construction bans under GRAP-IV. An informal oral request extended the stay till May 31, after which the SC administration made clear that no further extensions would be allowed, especially as elevated judges were waiting for accommodation.
This situation marks an unprecedented instance of the Supreme Court formally intervening to reclaim its top judicial residence from a former CJI. While extensions have been granted to former justices in the past, a formal notice of this nature is highly unusual. Justice Chandrachud reaffirmed his commitment to vacating the residence promptly and expressed full awareness of the obligations tied to his former office.
