CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s Working Day in Supreme Court Ends Today, Justice SA Bobde to Take Oath on Nov 18

CJI Ranjan Gogoi, who is well known for delivering a major verdict on Ayodhya case, earlier in the day, issued notices in all the 10 cases that were listed before him.

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who is retiring on November 17, paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on Friday at Rajghat. Today is his last working day as the Chief Justice of India. He is retiring on November 17.

On Friday, Gogoi was given farewell at the Supreme Court premises. Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will take oath as the next Chief Justice of India on November 18.

Delhi: Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Today is his last working day as the Chief Justice of India. CJI Gogoi retires on November 17. pic.twitter.com/8PBudzWg7Y

— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2019

CJI Gogoi, who is well known for delivering four major verdicts in a single week, including that of Ayodhya case, earlier in the day, issued notices in all the 10 cases that were listed before him. Two days before his retirement, he sat with Chief Justice-designate SA Bobde in court number one and issued notices.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Rakesh Khanna bid Chief Justice Gogoi adieu and wished him a happy retired life. He also thanked him for increasing the number of judges in the apex court, news agency ANI reported.

After the retirement of Justice Deepak Mishra as CJI, Gogoi was appointed as the Chief Justice of India on October 3 in 2018.

In another significant development, the Supreme Court on November 13 said that the office of the Chief Justice of India is a public authority under the Right to Information Act, asserting that the judicial independence has to be kept in mind while disclosing information in public interest.

Referring to Constitutional scheme on setting up of the apex court, the verdict said: “It is undebatable that the Supreme Court of India is a ‘public authority’, as defined vide clause (h) to Section 2 of the RTI Act as it has been established and constituted by or under the Constitution.

“The CJI is the competent authority in the case of the Supreme Court. Consequently, in terms of Section 28 of the RTI Act, the CJI is empowered to frame rules, which have to be notified…, to carry out provisions of the RTI Act.”

Prior to his retirement, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi delivered the historic judgment on the title dispute of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. On November 14, he delivered the verdict in the politically sensitive case on Rafale deal review petitions against its December 14, 2018 judgment

He also delivered the top court’s verdict on the contempt plea filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for wrongly attributing to the court his “Chowkidar Chor Hai” slogan.

On November 14, he also delivered another landmark judgment on review petitions against the verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.