Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who delivered the historic verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi case of Ayodhya, has made many big revelations in his autobiography ‘Justice for the Judge’, which was launched on December 8, 2021. In the book, he has mentioned a person who tried to create an obstacle during the final hearing of the Ram Janmbhoomi case that could have postponed the judgement.
The former Chief Justice has written that on October 16, 2019, the day on which the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict in the Ayodhya case, a person tried to obstruct the decision by entering the Supreme Court. However, he was stopped by the Chief Justice. The matter was next heard on November 9, 2019, and the court pronounced the verdict in favour of Hindus.
Ranjan Gogoi, who is currently serving as a member of Rajya Sabha, has disclosed in the book that one of the representatives of a litigant in the case was obstructing the functioning of the judiciary. He was barred from appearing in the court following the orders of Justice Gogoi. He said he did so as he had realized the main aim of the man was only to obstruct the hearing.
He said, “I sent a handwritten reply to the Secretary-General saying that under no circumstances was the person to be allowed entry. A bona fide visitor to the SC in connection with his case is always entitled to a visitor’s pass through his advocate-on-record. Since this person was approaching the Registry or the secretary-general for the entry, I sensed that his objective was not well-intended but aimed at disrupting the hearing.”
Gogoi further writes that during the lunch break on that day, the secretary-general had again approached him seeking instructions on the person’s request. To this, Justice Gogoi asked if he can maintain the status quo, ie, keep the man away from the court for two more hours. The secretary general said he can do that, and the hearing in the historic case was concluded soon after that.
“I closed the hearing by saying ‘enough is enough’ and ‘judgment is reserved’. This is how the hearing of one of the longest disputes in legal history and one of the most fiercely contested cases in the Supreme Court came to an end,” Justice Gogoi wrote in the book.
The former CJI said if the man had entered the court, it would have affected the functioning of the court, and the matter could have been adjourned. While talking to Times of India, he said, “I will never reveal his identity.”
Former CJI further added that the case had caused a lot of stress not only for him but for the other judges as well. He would get only 3-4 hours of sleep during the entire period of Ayodhya hearing. “Negative comments on the feasibility of completion of hearing; statements by activists about the misplaced priority of the SC in taking up the case and wasting judicial time and, to top it all, the Damocles’ sword-like deadlines for completion of the different stages of the case kept reminding me what was at stake, the consequences to the institution and me, and its reputation if the case was to remain inconclusive before my retirement,” he added.
Iron pen and diamond nib
The autobiography was launched at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Former CJI SA Bobde was also present during the ceremony. He said that the book was written with an iron pen and a diamond nib. Apart from Bobde, former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and others were present for the launch of the book.
When asked why the Ayodhya case was given priority over human rights violation in Kashmir and abrogation of Article 370, he said that the Ayodhya case was pending for a long time. They set up a bench to hear it and complete it within a stipulated time.
