Will reveal why I accepted after swearing-in: Former CJI Gogoi on RS nomination

New Delhi, Mar 17: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday said he would soon reveal why he accepted the nomination to the Upper House.

"I'll go to Delhi probably tomorrow. Let me first take the oath then I will speak in detail to the media that why I accepted this and why I am going to Rajya Sabha," Gogoi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"I have accepted it since I have a strong conviction that the legislative and the 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.

The appointment of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind has raised many eyebrows, with several opposition parties, including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and AIMIM, claiming that Gogoi's nomination to Upper House of Parliament was quid pro quo.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the move, saying that it will have repurcussions of the move on independence of the judiciary.

AAP MLA Raghav Chadha also raised question over Gogoi's appointment and said that it will set a bad precedent and cause huge loss to the independence of judiciary.

Gogoi was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Kovind on Monday (March 16). The notification said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of Article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to nominate Shri Ranjan Gogoi to the Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nominated member."

Ranjan Gogoi, who retired on November 17, 2019, served as the 46th Chief Justice of India from October 3, 2018, to November 17, 2019.

Gogoi will be remembered for several historic decisions during his tenure, including key verdicts in highly-sensitive disputes like the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case, the 'Entry of women to Sabarimala Temple', the Rafale deal and the Assam NRC dispute.