Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has been nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, exactly four months after he stepped down from the highest judicial office in the country. He has been nominated by the President of India under article 80(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.
“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, President is pleased to nominate Shri Ranjan Gogoi to Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nominated members,” the government said in its notification
He takes the place of senior lawyer KTS Tulsi who was nominated by the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh. The total number of members in the Raajya Sabha is 250 out of which 12 members are nominated by the President, these nominated peoples are those who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of matters such as Literature, science, art and social service.
Ranjan Gogoi was the 46th Chief Justice of the country and held the post for a little more than 13 months. The former CJI who retired on November 17 , headed the five-judge Bench that delivered the verdict in the sensitive Ayodhya dispute on November 9. He also headed a bench that had held that the office of the CJI was a public authority and came under the purview of the Right to Information Act.
Justice Gogoi also headed the benches that heard matters like a review of the apex court’s verdict allowing the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple and the Rafale fighter planes deal.
Opposition parties have lambasted the government for nominating the ex CJI to the Rajya Sabha but the BJP countered saying that the Congress too had nominated a former CJI to the Upper House. That was in the case of Ranganath Mishra, who post retirement headed the Mishra commission that looked into the anti Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984. Earlier, the Modi govermment had appointed another retired chief justice P Sadasivam as the governor of Kerala.
Read Notification Here:
