Treat Northeast With Care, Caution, Compassion And Understanding: Ranjan Gogoi | Zee News Exclusive

Speaking to Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, Ranjan Gogoi said he was targeted because he comes from the Northeast.

New Delhi: The Ex-Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, who has recently penned down his autobiography, said in an exclusive interview to Zee News that through the book, he is trying to reach out to the common man. Talking about his life as a judge, he said people can look at judges differently but should not judge them. “Don’t look at a judge the way you look at a public servant or a politician,” he said.

In his autobiography, Gogoi has mentioned many anecdotes related to his personal life. Talking about his journey from ‘My Lord’ to ‘Mr Gogoi’, he said that he has lived a simple life during the tenure of ‘My Lord’ of 18-19 years and now he does not have any problem if ‘My Lord’ is removed.

“I like it because I can walk freely among people, talk to them. This is a stage of life. There is another phase of life which is different. It is as important, as good,” he said.

“Those who sit in the judge’s chair have discipline. They don’t speak. You criticize a judge as much as you can, criticize their decisions, no matter how much mud you throw at his judgment, he does not speak. He doesn’t answer. A politician answers in a public forum. But the judge remains silent. This means that they are following judicial discipline,” he said in the interview.

Highlights of his interview:

8: 45 PM: Corruption is as old as society. Corruption has becomes an acceptable way of life and judges don’t fall from heaven.

8: 34 PM: It was horrible and terrible, says Justice Gogoi on sexual allegation against him.

8:33 PM: I gave my head and a piece of rope to Justice Bobde to bring fair judgement on sexual allegation case against me.

8: 32 PM: Treat Northeast with care, caution, compassion and understanding: Justice Gogoi to Zee News.

8: 30 PM: I have not understood the power of media and don’t want to understand as it doesn’t concern me.

8: 20 PM: I had a choice to become politician but chose not to become as I also belong to a political family.

8: 15 PM: There was no such thought in me that there will be riot or violence across the country post the Supreme Court judgement on Ayodhya case.

8: 12 PM: To a question on any pressure on Ayodhya judgement, he said what about the other judges. You may influence me but you cannot influence the SC bench.

8: 015 PM: When I look back at Ayodhya judgement, I get surprised. My predecessor Deepak Mishra had handed over the case to me. We the five-member team gave the judgement just before my retirement.

8: 06 PM: Let my book remain incomplete but the institution should not be harmed.

8: 05PM: On what made him to write autobiography, he said the book is for them who want to know the correct facts about various judgements.

8: 04 PM: Criticism of judges is good but the way it is happening today is not good. Criticise the judgement but not the judge, he adds.

8: 02 PM: Don’t judge a judge as a public servant, he says to Zee News. Don’t take it as a sign of weakness.

8: 00PM: I don’t feel liberated as of now, says Ranjan Gogoi.

Ranjan Gogoi had held the post of CJI from October 3 2018 to November 17, 2019 and had led several historic decisions during his tenure including Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case, the ‘Entry of women to Sabarimala Temple’ etc.