"Nothing can be done as he is retired": SC dismisses petition against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi

Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea that required the setting up of a three-judge panel to probe into the alleged professional misconduct of former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, while he was a Judge at the Supreme Court.

Led by Justice Arun Mishra, a bench of the Apex court dismissed the petition filed by Arun Ramchandra Hublikar. The bench argued that the petition did not hold enough relevance or merit to be pursued any further because the accused had already retired from his office and post.

The bench has been quoted as saying "We dismiss the petition. There is no merit in it. The respondent is already demitted from his office."

The person who filed the petition, Arun Ramchandra Hublikar, had appealed to the apex court and filed the plea seeking inquiry into the professional conduct of the former Chief Justice of India as a judge of the Supreme Court. His requirement was of a three-judge panel that would look into the ex CJI's tenure of 13 months that ended in 2019.

Hublikar moved to the apex court and sought a probe into the alleged 'commission and omission' by Ranjan Gogoi during his tenure as a Supreme Court judge.

The bench has emphasized on the lapse of time and said that since Justice Gogoi has retired, a probe cannot be 'fruitful' at this point.

Hublikar argued before the Court that he had filed the plea in 2018 but it was not listed by the Registry despite dozens of reminder letters that were sent by him to the Apex Court's office.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi's tenure was fraught with a few controversies; he was accused of sexual misconduct but was later cleared of all charges.

Gogoi served as the 46th Chief Justice of India for a little over a year between 2018 and 2019. He was leading the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that was responsible for delivering a landmark verdict in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case in November 2019.