Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who had headed the Constitution Bench that delivered the landmark judgment in the temple-mosque dispute in Ayodhya was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind.A notification to this effect was issued on 16 March 2020.Under Article 80 of the Constitution, the President can appoint 12 MPs “having special knowledge or...
Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who had headed the Constitution Bench that delivered the landmark judgment in the temple-mosque dispute in Ayodhya was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind.
A notification to this effect was issued on 16 March 2020.
Under Article 80 of the Constitution, the President can appoint 12 MPs “having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of literature, science, art and social service” to the Rajya Sabha.
Justice Gogoi will not be the first CJI to sit in the Rajya Sabha. The 21st CJI, Rangnath Mishra, served as an MP in the Upper House from 1998 to 2004. However, Justice Mishra was a Congress MP, not a member of eminence appointed by the President.
Justice Gogoi’s nomination has drawn some sharp reactions from the Opposition. According to some leaders, this move will not only set a bad precedent but will also cause irreparable damage to the independence of the judiciary.
Justice Gogoi has reportedly said to reporters that he has accepted it since he has a strong conviction that the legislative and the judiciary must at some point of time work together for nation-building. His presence in Parliament will be an opportunity to project the views of the Judiciary before the Legislature and vice versa.
Justice Gogoi retired in November 2019 after holding the role for around 13 months and was succeeded by the current Chief Justice Sharad Bobde.