Facing all-round criticism for accepting Rajya Sabha seat as Presidential nominee, former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday said he would speak in detail about accepting the offer after he takes the oath.
Talking to reporters who went to meet him at his residence in Guwahati, Gogoi said, “I will go to Delhi probably tomorrow (Wednesday)... Let me first take oath, then I will speak in detail to the media why I accepted this and why I am going to the Rajya Sabha.”
Ironically, last year itself, as CJI Gogoi had observed: “There is a strong viewpoint that post-retirement appointment is a scar on independence of judiciary”.
While Congress reminded the Modi Government the opinion of former Law Minister Arun Jaitley on cooling off period for judges, the CPI(M) urged the President to rescind the nomination of Gogoi.
In a gazette notification on Monday, President Ram Nath Kovind nominated Gogoi to the Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nominated members.
“I have accepted the offer of the nomination to the Rajya Sabha because of a strong conviction that the legislature and judiciary must at some point of time work together for nation-building. My presence in Parliament will be an opportunity to project the views of the judiciary before the legislature and vice-versa,” he said.
There have been debates in the political circles and other quarters on the nomination of Gogoi, who had retired in November last year as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) after serving for about 13 months.
Gogoi’s former colleagues, Justice (retired) Madan B Lokur commented that the last bastion (read judiciary) has fallen. “There has been speculation for sometimes now about what honorific would Justice Gogoi get. So, in that sense the nomination is not surprising, but what is surprising is that it came so soon. This redefines the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary. Has the last bastion fallen?,” Lokur said in his reaction on Gogoi’s nomination to the Upper House.
Slamming the BJP on the nomination of former CJI, senior Supreme Court advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi contrasted freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose to BJP’s ideology. Quoting Bose’s “Give me blood, I will give you freedom”, Singhvi said the BJP had tweaked it to “Give us a judgment favourable to our ideology, we give you Rajya Sabha seat”. He added that it was not about Gogoi, but about the “concept of independence of the judiciary”.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi considered the advice of his late Law Minister before nominating Gogoi. “Did PM Modi consider the advice of his former colleague and Law Minister and Finance Minister, Late Sh Arun Jaitley before recommending ex-CJI, Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha,” he asked on Twitter.