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| SOURCE: DW |
Ranjan Gogoi's oath-taking: slogans of the opposition's 'Shem Shem'
Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi took the oath of membership of Rajya Sabha today, but in the meantime, the opposition shouted 'Shim Shem' and walked out of the House.
There has been a tradition of welcoming a new member to the House of Representatives of the Indian Parliament, but this was probably the first time that the person holding the honorable post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was greeted with the slogan 'Shame Karushram Karo'. ۔
As Ranjan Gogoi, the Opposition members who stood for taking the oath of Rajya Sabha started chanting 'Shim Shim'. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu continued to urge the opposition members to remain silent and said that their words would not be recorded in the record and that their behavior was not in accordance with the dignity of the upper house. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also rejected opposition members' behavior inappropriately and reminded that several well-known personalities, including a former judge, have been nominated for the house. And then walked out of the house.
Ranjan Gogoi said, "These people will welcome them very soon." Before taking the oath of membership, he said that he was accepting the post because he believed the legislature and the judiciary had built the country. Should work together
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| SOURCE: DW |
The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, has 245 members. Twelve of them are nominated by the Indian President but these nominations are made on the recommendation of the government. Nominated members are usually the country's leading figures. Celebrities who have been nominated for Rajya Sabha in the past include cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, film actress Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Nargis Dutt, painter MF Hussain, Olympic boxer Mary Kom and singer Lata Mangeshkar, but former chief justice of India. The nominations for the Rajya Sabha within just four months of his retirement from office have been strongly condemned by the political parties as well as the Indian judiciary and civil society. One of the main reasons for this is that Gogoi, while holding the post of Chief Justice, ruled on several important cases, such as Babri Masjid and Ram Janmabhoomi, Rafael Plane Deal, National Register of Citizens. These decisions benefited the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi indirectly with tremendous political advantage. That is why it is being alleged that Ranjan Gogoi has been given the Rajya Sabha membership as a 'reward or compensation'.
The opposition Congress party dismissed Justice Gogoi's nomination as a "serious, unusual and unforgivable" attack on the constitutional infrastructure. Former Supreme Court Justice Justice Joseph Joseph said that the acceptance of Rajya Sabha membership of the former Chief Justice has weakened the confidence of the judiciary. Another former Supreme Court judge, Madan B. Lukor, questioned whether the last fortress of justice in the country has also collapsed. Former Supreme Court Justice Markande Katju has attacked Ranjan Gogoi in his article on social media. Justice Katju wrote, "I've been a lawyer for twenty years and a judge for twenty years. In my career, I have seen many good judges and have also met several bad judges. But I can say that no judge in the Indian judiciary is as shameless and dishonest as Ranjan Gogoi, the victim of sexual misconduct. There is hardly anything wrong with this person. Now it will honor the stupid Indian parliament. "
Ranjan Gogoi's nomination is also being linked to next year's assembly elections in the state of Assam. He belongs to the Ahom tribe of Assam, who ruled there for some time and still has a significant influence there.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has rejected the opposition's objections saying that in the past, outgoing judges have been made members of the Rajya Sabha. In this regard, Congress is giving the example of making Justice Rang Nath Mishra a member of Rajya Sabha. But analysts say there is a fundamental difference between the two. Justice Rang Nath Mishra was made a member six years after his retirement and at that time it was not the Congress but the BJP-led Atal Behari Vajpayee-led government. Also, one mistake cannot be corrected by another.
The Indian judiciary has been questioned in recent times because of some of its decisions. A controversial statement by former senior government official Harsh Temple is being heard in the Supreme Court these days. In a video, he is heard saying that justice cannot be expected from the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, social activist Madhu Kishore filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Gogoi's nomination for Rajya Sabha, saying that the decision of the Indian president is a compromise with the independence and confidence of the judiciary. This is a political appointment and it is necessary to doubt the decisions made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Source: DW
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