NEW DELHI: “We live in times when what we should eat, wear have stopped being little things of our personal lives,” Chief Justice of India-designate Ranjan Gogoi said on Monday. “So what is it that unites us? Without doubt, it is the Constitution,” he added, while speaking at a farewell function for outgoing CJI Dipak Misra.
Justice Gogoi’s remarks assume significance in the wake of the increasing cases of mob lynching in the country.“Whenever we are in doubt, it is Constitutional morality which should guide us... Constitutional text doesn’t give ready-made answers. It, though, tells (the) path to give answers,” he said.
Asserting that the outgoing CJI’s greatest contribution has been in Constitutional law, particularly concerning civil liberties, he said Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra displayed remarkable erudition and fortitude ever since he was elevated to the Bench.
CJI Misra, for his part, said the “Indian judiciary is a strong institution standing firm in the face of assaults.” He called it the “strongest judiciary in the world having (the) capability to handle (a) mind-boggling number of cases.” He exuded faith that the independence of the judiciary would remain safe in the hands of Justice Gogoi.