Two TMC MPs file privilege motion against ex-CJI Gogoi

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Noor on Monday moved a privilege motion in the Rajya Sabha against former Chief Justice of India and Member of Parliament Justice Ranjan Gogoi over remarks pertaining to his attendance in the Parliament during an TV interview.

At least 10 other Parliamentarians, from different parties, are expected to move similar motions, according to The Indian Express.The motion says the statements constitute a breach and undermine the dignity of the House.

During an interview to NDTV, aired on December 9, Gogoi was asked about his attendance in Parliament. The former CJI had cited Covid curbs and discomfort with the lack of social distancing and seating arrangements, adding: “I go to the RS when I feel like, when I think there are matters of importance on which I should speak. I am a nominated member, not governed by any party



whip.”

Asked about him joining the Rajya Sabha just four months after retiring as CJI, Gogoi said: “What is this magic about RS? I would have been better off in terms of pay, emoluments if I had been a chairman of a tribunal.”

Gogoi, during his stint as the Chief Justice of India, brought the curtains down on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute. In his autobiography ‘Justice for the Judge’, the Rajya Sabha MP has writtten about what he did after delivering the unanimous verdict.

“After the judgment, the Secretary-General organised a photo session in the judges’ gallery outside Court No 1, below the Ashoka Chakra. In the evening, I took the judges for dinner to the Taj Mansingh Hotel. We ate Chinese food and shared a bottle of wine, the best available there. I picked the tab, being the eldest,” he writes.