Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi May Take Rajya Sabha Oath Today

New Delhi: The former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, is likely to take his oath as a presidential nominee to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He was nominated to the Upper House of parliament on Monday by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The former Chief Justice of India was reported as having told the media in Guwahati on Tuesday that the RS membership would serve as an opportunity for him to project the views of the judiciary before the legislature. He hinted that he would be travelling to the national capital on Wednesday and that he would speak at length to the media on why he accepted the presidential nomination.

Justice Gogoi also said that the reason behind his acceptance was his conviction that the legislature and the judiciary must at some point of time work together towards the cause of nation-building. Justice Gogoi retired in November 2019 as the Chief Justice of India.

While Justice Gogoi's nomination has been criticised by retired fellow-judges and politicians, it is not without precedents.

More than twenty years ago, former Chief Justice Ranganath Mishra became a Rajya Sabha MP after joining the Congress.

Similarly, former Justice Baharul Islam was a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha before he resigned in his second term to become a judge of the Gauhati High Court. He became the chief justice of Gauhati High Court on July 7, 1979 and retired on March 1, 1980.

Justice Baharul Islam was later appointed as a Supreme Court judge on December 4, 1980, in an unprecedented move since he had already retired. He resigned as judge and became a Rajya Sabha member once again.

Similarly, former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam was appointed Governor of Kerala.