Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday questioned the nomination of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha, saying it “clearly indicated he had been useful to the current Government at the Centre.”
Maintaining that Gogoi's nomination has definitely caused eyebrows to be raised, he said any sensible person would be against such a move by the Government.
“It (Gogoi''s nomination to Rajya Sabha) clearly indicated that he had been useful to the current Government at the Centre,” Capt Amarinder said.
The Governments have to realise their responsibility, they cannot use institutions for political benefit, as appeared to be the case in Gogoi's nomination, said Amarinder, during a conclave to mark the completion of three years of his government.
The Chief Minister drew a distinction between Gogoi's nomination by the BJP-led Government less than six months after retirement as Chief Justice and former CJI Ranganath Mishra's election to the Rajya Sabha on a Congress ticket after several years of retirement from the same post.
"Unlike Gogoi, Mishra fought an election to win the RS seat, and that too some seven years after he retired as CJI," he said.
Gogoi was also entitled to get into politics, but he should have faced election after four to five years of retirement, said Capt Amarinder.
Even though his Government had nominated retired judges to various commissions, they had no political or Government standing, said the CM, making it clear that he would never agree to doing such a favour to a chief justice as had been apparently done for Gogoi.