Ranjan Gogoi in the Rajya Sabha

Post-oath taking in the Rajya Sabha, ex-CJI and now M.P. Ranjan Gogoi dismantled claims against him which were speculative of his nomination to the Lok Sabha nominated by the President, alleging as to how the whole shebang was nothing more than a quid pro quo offered to him for his deliverance of the Ayodhya verdict.

To begin with, he critically referred to a ‘lobby of a half a dozen people’ who maintain a stronghold within the inner workings of the judiciary, and do not hesitate in sponsoring malice against a judge when they do not rule as per their wish. According to his statements, the stronghold of the lobby needs to be broken in order to morally free the judiciary from indenture. He further stated that he was hailed as the darling of that very same lobby when he had presided over the historic press conference of 2018 against former CJI Dipak Mishra, as coincidentally, the move was also in the interests of the lobby.

He then revealed that the privileges bestowed upon a retired judge are seemingly identical to that of an MP, so if his nomination was born out a quid pro quo situation, then the post of an M.P wouldn’t be his far-reaching landing spot.

MP Ranjan Gogoi further addressed his desires of not personally wanting to be the recipient of his salaries and allowances, stating that he wants to utilize it in trying to refurbish libraries in smaller towns.

Witnessing and assessing these developments, it does not seem too unwise to say that the addition of ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi appears to be a boon for the Indian Parliament, but the more pertinent question to ask here would be if the distinguished justice would live out his tenure in the Parliament as an independent man or would he turn this development into a stepping stone for launching his political career, most likely in the BJP?

Gaurav Agarwal,

Guwahati, Assam