CJI Misra endorses Justice Gogoi as his successor
New Delhi, September 1
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra is understood to have endorsed the name of Justice Ranjan Gogoi – the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court – as his successor even as government sources said they are yet to receive a formal communication in this regard.
A source privy to the process said the letter is ready and will be sent to the government. This is in tune with the convention of recommending the name of the senior-most judge of the top court as the CJI.
Justice Gogoi will replace CJI Misra who is due to retire on October 2. He will have 13-month tenure and will retire on November 17, 2019.
Ever since Justice Gogoi took part in a press conference along with three other judges on January 12 and criticised CJI Misra, there had been speculation about the next move of the CJI who maintained a studied silence on the issue.
Appointed as a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001, Justice Gogoi was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 9, 2010, and then appointed as its Chief Justice on February 12, 2011. Justice Gogoi was elevated to the top court on April 23, 2012.
There has been a convention of CJI recommending the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as his successor. Only twice, it was not followed – first when Justice AN Ray was appointed as the CJI on April 25, 1973, superseding three senior-most judges and second time when Justice MH Beg was appointed the CJI on January 29, 1977, superseding Justice HR Khanna.
In a joint meeting of the Bar Council of India with the representatives of State Bar Councils, Co-ordination Committee of all District Bar Associations of Delhi, Delhi High Court Bar Association and District Bar Associations of Delhi and NCR held here on Saturday, the members of the Joint Committee unanimously welcomed the recommendations made by CJI Dipak Misra for appointing Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next CJI.
The BCI had earlier a requested CJI Dipak Misra to recommend the name of Justice Gogoi because the Bar would not have tolerated any deviation from the well established tradition.
“The Bar Council of India on behalf of the entire legal fraternity is grateful to the present Chief Justice of India and believes that the entire country will be benefitted by getting such a legal luminary as the next head of the Indian judiciary,” BCI said in a statement.
Lead Image: CJI-Dipak-Misra-and-his-successor-Justice-Ranjan-Gogoi
