Great expectations from Justice Ranjan Gogoi, now set to become the 46th Chief Justice of India
Published on: 2 September 2018, 06:07 am
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter months of speculations that were not entirely unjustified, Justice Ranjan Gogoi is at last set to adorn judicial firmament as the 46th Chief Justice of India (CJI). The incumbent CJI, Dipak Misra has officially recommended the name of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.Finally, this clears the dark clouds of doubt that had surrounded Justice Gogoi's appointment as the next CJI ever since his participation in the unprecedented January 12, 2018 press conference by the four senior-most justices— in which they had questioned the administrative functioning of the present CJI, Dipak Misra.
The Department of Justice under the Union Ministry of Law and Justice is likely to notify the appointment of Justice Gogoi as the 46thChief Justice of India in a few days to come. Before that file will go to the President of India to get the appointment of warrant signed off, routed through Prime Minister. He will take over as the next CJI on October 3, 2018 when the incumbent, CJI Dipak Misra will retire.Justice Gogoi will have tenure in the office of CJI for more than a year till November 17, 2019.
Earlier the Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in terms of the existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) governing the method to be followed while forwarding the name of next CJI to the President of India, had written to the present CJI Dipak Misra seeking recommendation from him on his successor in the Supreme Court.
Background of Justice Gogoi
Justice Gogoi was born on November 18, 1954. He joined the Bar in 1978 and practised mainly in the Guwahati High Court. On February 28, 2001, he was appointed as a permanent judge of the Guwahati High Court. He was later appointed as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 12, 2011. From there, he was elevated to the Supreme Court on April 23, 2012.