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New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi has said that, “ultimately”, he should not have been part of the bench that took suo motu cognizance of news reports on allegations of sexual harassment against him.
“After all, probably, I shouldn’t have been on the bench. But then what do you do, tell me, if your hard-earned reputation as one of India’s up-and-coming anchors, which you put in with all your hard work, tries to destroy overnight (sic)? Justice Gogoi said on Wednesday.
“Do I expect you to act with 100 per cent rationality? Do you think the Chief Justice of India is not a human being? My reputation of forty-five years, which I had built up in the Bar and Bench, to be destroyed with a stroke of a pen.” is tried,” he said. India Today News Director Rahul Kanwal during the release of his autobiography ‘judge’s justice,
In response to Kanwal’s claim that he had done justice to his case through himself suo motu actionJustice Gogoi said the order, signed by the other two judges on the bench and not by him, did not give him a clean chit from the allegations.
The former CJI and Rajya Sabha MP said, “The order was expected of the press to be vigilant, responsible, but what the world talked about was that Justice Gogoi presided over his case and gave himself a clean chit.” “
However, he said that sitting on the bench that day was his fault. “We all make mistakes, I don’t mind saying so.”
‘The test panel was not toothless’
Justice Gogoi also sought to dispel the notion that the internal special panel set up to probe allegations of sexual harassment was toothless.
He said the process has been in vogue for more than two decades and there is an aspect of safeguarding the existing SC judges to maintain the independence of the institution. “Any Tom, Dick and Harry complaining, not outsiders, but insiders getting them investigated,” he said.
Contrary to the public perception that the inquiry panel took a liberal approach in his case, Justice Gogoi claimed that by accepting the probe he had “put down his neck and called for the hanging of Justice SA Bobde (who was heading the panel).” hanged”.
“Justice Bobde would have benefited the most by convicting me, he would have got an additional seven months as CJI. What are you guys talking about?” Justice Gogoi said.
Justice Bobde had replaced Justice Gogoi as the CJI.
Justice Gogoi clarified that the complainant was reinstated in service while he was a sitting CJI and not after he had stepped down. She had reached out to Justice Bobde, who like a “disciplined soldier” forwarded the complainant’s letter to Justice Gogoi.
The former CJI said he had left it to Justice Bobde’s discretion to decide on the representation.
Read also: Ayodhya, Rafale And Others – 5 Big Ranjan Gogoi Verdicts That ‘Worked In Modi Government’s Favor’
On Article 370 and Ayodhya
Justice Gogoi also rejected the allegations that he, as the Chief Justice, did not give importance to human rights matters, especially petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, and decided to decide the Ayodhya case first. Did.
He said by the time Article 370 petitions were filed, he had taken more than a month to hear the land dispute case. Therefore, he, as the CJI, assigned the task to the next most senior judge available to hear it.
He said, “Everyone wrote that CJI does not have time for human rights matters, they do not say that CJI had referred Kashmir matters to an alternate bench on the same day.
On why he expedited the Ayodhya case, Justice Gogoi clarified that he did not revive the case, it was abandoned by his predecessor and became his responsibility.
“I set up the bench, took the burden of dismantling it on myself. The responsibility was mine and one thing on my mind was institutional reputation. If I was not able to take it then I should not have taken the job, that was my commitment,” he said.
(Edited by Neha Mahajan)
Read also: Ranjan Gogoi RS seat made big news in 2020. But he is with retirement amongst 70% of SC judges
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