Who is ‘rebel' Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the next CJI?

Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI).

New Delhi, Sep 13: Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). It must be recalled that Justice Ranjan Gogoi was one of the four SC judges who spoke against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra at an unprecedented press conference held in January 2018, others being Justices J Chelameshwar (retired), Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph.

The primary objection of the four dissenting judges was the manner in which the chief justice was allocating cases to be heard by various benches. The judges claimed that they had written a letter to Justice Misra with their concerns and held the press conference after he did not pay heed to them.

The four top judges of the Supreme Court addressed the media to declare that "all is not well" with the apex court as they launched a sharp attack on Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra for "ignoring the concerns voiced by them". Justice Gogoi, on being asked if the letter was about CBI Judge BH Loya's alleged mysterious death case, had said: "yes."

After that, there was plenty of speculation whether Justice Gogoi would be made the CJI.

Who is Justice Ranjan Gogoi?

Justice Gogoi was born on 18 November 1954. His father Keshab Chandra Gogoi was a Chief minister under the Congress regime in Assam in the year 1982. Justice Gogoi has a reputation for speaking his mind besides giving messages beyond his judgements.

Justice Gogoi was enrolled at the Bar in 1978 and practised at the Gauhati High Court of which he was made a Permanent Judge on 28 February 2001. He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 September 2010 and became its Chief Justice on 12 February 2011. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 23 April 2012.

He went to the town's Don Bosco School before studying history at St. Stephen's College in Delhi. He followed in his father's footsteps by pursuing law and joining the Bar in 1978. Colleagues in the Gauhati High Court, where he mainly practised, recall him as a soft-spoken, reserved person, who commanded respect, said a report.

He has delivered various significant judgements including Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC), setting up of special courts to exclusively try MPs and MLAs, Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts for remission of their life sentences and appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal among others.

He is the first judge from the northeast to be appointed as the Chief Justice. His tenure as the Chief Justice Of India will last till November 2019.