CJI Ranjan Gogoi: "I wish for your good wishes for my second phase"

Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi visited his home state Assam on Sunday, a day after delivering the historic Ayodhya verdict. He was accorded a very warm welcome at the LGBI Airport in Guwahati by Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba, along with a host of ministers, members of the Gauhati High Court and Bar. On behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Media Adviser to the CM, Hrishikesh Goswami, welcomed him.  

Read: Ayodhya Verdict: CJI Holds The Allahabad HC Wrong In Dividing Land

Book release function 

CJI Ranjan Gogoi was in Guwahati along with CJI- Designate Justice SA Bobde, to release the book, 'Courts of India- Past and Present', which has been translated into Assamese by the translation division of the Gauhati High Court. Speaking on the occasion, CJI Ranjan Gogoi said that this was perhaps his last public address before demitting office this November 17. Stating that he didn't like speaking in public, Justice Gogoi said, "Today, I will speak on a topic very close to my heart," as he spoke about how history has its imprint in each and every courtroom of India. He also suggested that everyone interested in law should read three books- Courts of India-Past and Present, Architectural Justice and Gauhati High Court History & Heritage.  

Read: CJI Ranjan Gogoi Says, 'The NRC Is A Base Document For Future'

‘Fortunate to work with Justice Gogoi’ 

"I don't want to go to any contentious issues. This is not the occasion," he said, making it clear that he would not speak about the Ayodhya verdict he delivered on Saturday along with four other judges. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal praised Justice Gogoi for the landmark verdict on Ayodhya and said, "I am proud and I am more proud that an Assamese delivered the verdict."  

In his speech Justice SA Bobde, the CJI- Designate said, "I am fortunate to work with Justice Gogoi. His grit, mettle and character is so strong that it is not easy to pass through."  

Read: It Bothers Me, When I See Judges Feeling Harassed: CJI Designate Bobde

‘He decided the most important litigation’ 

"We are going through a very critical phase. People want to control everything. At this juncture, Justice Gogoi has provided that insulation, that courage, that quality. He decided the most important litigation this country was facing," said Justice Arun Mishra as he further added that the most impossible, miraculous task has been achieved during his regime.  

"Court spoke in one voice yesterday. Very unprecedented in history," said Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat. It needs no mentioning that the main event got sidelined as everyone grabbed the opportunity to thank the Chief Justice for his landmark verdict in his home State. Earlier in the day, Justice Gogoi went to Dibrugarh along with his wife Rupanjali Gogoi to drop his mother Shanti Devi, at their ancestral home. 

Read: 5 Major Judgments CJI Gogoi Is Likely To Deliver Before His Retirement