A viral message claiming Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud's wife, Kalpana Das, is the niece of Dr. SP Das, an orthopaedic surgeon and personal physician of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is false.
The posts further alleged without any proof that Chandrachud went on foreign vacations with Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress' (TMC) national general secretary.
The posts are circulating at a time when a bench led by the CJI is hearing a suo motu case in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
West Bengal has been gripped by protests for over a month following the rape and murder of a junior doctor who was killed while on night shift duty at a Kolkata hospital on August 9, 2024. Citizens and junior doctors have taken to the streets, protesting against the ruling TMC-led government and alleging systemic corruption within the state's healthcare system. The protesting medics also ignored a Supreme Court deadline to resume work by 5 pm on September 10 and pledged to continue their strike until their demands are met.
Against this backdrop, a viral message alleged close ties between the CJI's family and TMC's top brass.
The viral forward alleges: "CJI Chandrachur's present wife is related to Dr. SP Das orthopaedic surgeon and personal physician of CM Government of West Bengal. Also Justice Chandrachur and Abhishek Banerjee spend their holidays in Malaysia and Bangkok together! Just informing you without any intentions behind."
Several social media users have shared the message while insinuating impropriety on part of the CJI while hearing cases pertaining to the West Bengal government.
Fact Check
BOOM first ran a keyword search but did not find any credible news reports linking CJI Chandrachud’s wife, Kalpana Das, to Dr. SP Das from West Bengal, nor any evidence of the CJI spending time with TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in Malaysia and Bangkok.
We then found a news report by the Odisha-based outlet Kanak News from May 7, 2023, which features a video of Chandrachud referring to himself as the "proud son-in-law" of Odisha and identifying his wife as Odia.
According to The Statesman, Chandrachud's first wife, Rashmi Chandrachud, passed away from cancer in 2007. Following her death, Chandrachud married lawyer Kalpana Das, who had previously worked with the British Council.
"Factually incorrect, attempt to malign the judiciary": Supreme Court Registry
BOOM reached out to the Supreme Court registry which strongly refuted the viral forward.
"A malicious tweet had been circulated on X ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the Kolkata rape and murder case attempting to link a member of the family of the Chief Justice of India with a medical lobby in Bengal. The tweet is ill intended, factually incorrect and an attempt to malign the judiciary," the Supreme Court registry said in a statement.
"Spreading falsehood is illegal and punishable": West Bengal Police
The West Bengal Police had debunked the forward on September 7, 2024 and said "extremely derogatory and baseless aspersions are being cast by some people in social media about the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India including the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India."
The police further added that spreading falsehoods was illegal and punishable. West Bengal's Krishnanagar Police have registered a case against an individual for circulating the false claim.