The President of the Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Dhanya Kumar Jain, has publicly apologised to Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait for accusing him of demolishing an ancient Hanuman temple at his residence without any evidence.
Jain issued the apology on January 25, following Justice Kait’s decision not to attend the Bar Association’s Republic Day celebrations due to the allegations.
In his apology letter, Jain acknowledged that clarifications from the Public Works Department (PWD) and the High Court Registrar disproved the claims.
“I realise my letter may have caused unnecessary confusion, for which I deeply regret. I offer my sincere apology to the Honorable Chief Justice and assure that such actions will not be repeated. I also request that no action be taken regarding my earlier applications,” Jain wrote.
Following the apology, Justice Kait attended the Republic Day event organised by the Bar Association on January 26.
Speaking on the matter, Jain stated, “For decades, it has been a tradition for the Chief Justice to attend our Republic Day function. The issue caused significant tension, with some members in Indore even raising slogans against me. Ultimately, I decided to put this matter to rest to preserve the relationship between the judiciary and the Bar.”
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The origin of the allegations
The claims were initially made by advocate Ravindra Nath Tripathi in an application dated December 22, 2024. The application, sent to the Chief Justice of India, the President, and the Prime Minister, alleged that Justice Kait had ordered the demolition of a Hanuman temple at his official residence.
The application was later forwarded to senior government authorities for further action.
However, the Madhya Pradesh Registrar General soon dismissed the allegations as baseless. In a statement, the Registrar General emphasized that reports of the temple’s demolition were entirely false and aimed at tarnishing the judiciary’s reputation.
“The Public Works Department has confirmed that no temple ever existed at the residence of the Honorable Chief Justice. The allegations being circulated are fabricated and appear to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and malign the judiciary’s integrity,” the Registrar General clarified in December 2024.
This incident, which briefly strained relations between the Bar and the Bench, has now been resolved following the apology and clarification from the concerned authorities.
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