Retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) and now Rajya Sabha MP Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Sunday made a sensational revelation against Congress leader and Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal stating that the former had sought the support of the then SC Judge Ranjan Gogoi to impeach Chief Justice Dipak Mishra in 2018.
Speaking to Times Now, Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi revealed that Kapil Sibal had tried meeting Ranjan Gogoi at his residence in 2018 after the controversial press conference of the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, to seek the support of the top court in the impeachment motion against the then Chief Justice Dipak Mishra. However, Ranjan Gogoi said he did not allow Sibal to enter the house then.
Sensational disclosure | @KapilSibal came to me for Dipak Mishra’s impeachment. I did not let him enter my house: Ranjan Gogoi, Ex- CJI & Rajya Sabha MP.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 22, 2020
Join Navika Kumar on #FranklySpeakingWithGogoi today at 10 am & 8 pm. pic.twitter.com/Cuv5xqA8H3
“I personally do not want to comment on Kapil Sibal, but I would like to point out that after the press conference, Kapil Sibal had come to my residence to seek the Supreme Court’s support on the impeachment motion against the then CJI Dipak Mishra. I did not allow them to come into my house,” said Ranjan Gogoi, who was the third most senior in the Supreme Court.
When he was asked that when he did not allow Kapil Sibal to enter the house and could not talk to him, how did he know what Kapil Sibal had come to say? Responding to this, the former Chief Justice said, “Because there was a call in the evening and I was told that Sibal would come here to talk to me on this issue. I told the caller not to allow them to come to my house.”
In January 2018, four senior Supreme Court judges namely Justices J Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur, Ranjan Gogoi and Kurian Joseph, had raised a rebellion in the Supreme Court to call a press conference to inform the nation of “their failed efforts” to convince the Chief Justice to take steps to protect the institution.
Following the controversial press conference, all the four judges had received a lot of criticism for rebelling against the judiciary and for attempting to put in a bad light. There was a suspicion that then regarding the political support to the four judges by a section of opposition parties to accuse the then CJI Dipak Mishra of impropriety.
Following the failure of press conference stunt, the Congress party had itself taken the responsibility of interfering in the judicial process by impeaching the then Chief Justice Mishra. The Congress party with the leadership of Kapil Sibal had moved an impeachment motion in the Parliament against Chief Justice Mishra. Kapil Sibal, who is himself an advocate, had also proclaimed that he will not appear in front of the CJI till the process is over.
However, Vice President and Rajya Sabha speaker M Venkaiah Naidu had rejected the impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Mishra stating that there was no merit in the charges against the CJI.
The disclosures made by former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi regarding the political interference of the Congress party to arm-twist judges to seek a favourable judgement in high-profile cases does not come as a surprise since the Congress has often used the arms to the state machinery to meet its political ends.
