New Delhi: Irked over of three-day long All India Chief Justices Conference being held on Good Friday, sitting Supreme Court judge Kurien Joseph has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also declined a dinner invitation, scheduled to be held on Saturday.

“No important programmes are held on holidays of religious significance ceremonies. Being the guardian of Indian secularism, I request your Honour to kindly have in mind these concerns also while scheduling events and benevolently show equal importance and respect to the sacred days of all religions which are also declared as National holidays,” wrote Justice Kurian Joseph in his letter to PM, according to media reports.

PM Narendra Modi will address a joint session on the third and final day of the conference.

Supreme Court judge had earlier clashed with the Chief Justice of India over holding of a three-day long judges conference during the holy period.

In his letter to CJI HL Dattu, he said, “I may with deep anguish bring to your kind notice that such an important conference should not have been held when some of us, otherwise expected to be part of the event, or otherwise committed on account of the holy days when we have religious ceremonies and family get-together as well,” he said

Maintaining that he was not striking a communal note, Justice Joseph said such serious programmes were not held during Diwali, Dussehra, Holi, Eid, etc.

However, Justice Dattu hit back saying the question the justice had to ask himself, as he cannot ask the judge, is “whether it is institutional interest or individual interest that one should preference to”.

Justice Dattu, in a letter to Justice Joseph, said assuming that religious ceremonies and family get-togethers were important, then he could asked his family to join him in Delhi.

“Several other participants are coming from distant places, leaving behind families,” the CJI said.