TMC Gives Privilege Motion Notice Against Ex-CJI in Rajya Sabha

Kolkata: The All India Trinamool Congress on Monday filed a privilege notice against former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi for his remarks against the Rajya Sabha.

A nominated member of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament, Ranjan Gogoi, in a recent interview to a news channel, said that he attends the house only when “he likes it,” and being an independent member, has the liberty to do so.

Since he joined the House in March 2020, Gogoi has only attended it six times. Monday was the seventh instance when he came to the Parliament. When asked by the interviewer about him joining the Rajya Sabha just four months after retiring as CJI, Gogoi said, “What is this magic about Rajya Sabha? I would have been better off in terms of pay, emoluments if I had been a chairman of a tribunal”.

TMCs MPs Jawhar Sircar and Mausam Noor moved the motion, arguing that the former CJI’s comments “undermine the dignity of the house”.

Justice Gogoi had told Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV while answering one of the questions during the interview.

“You ignore the fact that for one or two sessions, I had submitted a letter to the house saying due to Covid (on grounds of medical advice) I will not be attending the session. Until a little before the last Winter Session, you could enter the Rajya Sabha after only an RT-PCR and personally I did not feel comfortable going there. Social distancing norms have been enforced, they are not being observed. The sitting arrangements, I don’t find very comfortable. I go to the Rajya Sabha 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. Therefore, whenever the bell rings for the party members to come, it does not bind me, I go there of my choice and come out on my choice… I am an independent member of the house,” Justice Gogoi said in the interview.