Ranjan Gogoi To Be Next Chief Justice, Will Take Charge On Oct 3: Sources

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the second senior most judge in the Supreme Court, will take charge as the next Chief Justice of India on October 3, sources have told NDTV. Chief Justice Dipak Misra will soon endorse Justice Gogoi's name as his successor, keeping with the tradition of naming the judge next in seniority as the chief justice, sources said. Justice Gogoi, sources say, will be the Chief Justice till November 17, next year.

This comes after the Law Ministry a few days ago asked Chief Justice Dipak Misra to recommend his successor. It is convention for the law ministry to write to the Chief Justice asking for his recommendation on the man who will replace him.

If the recommendation is cleared by the centre, Justice Gogoi will be administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi was among the four judges who, in January, criticised Chief Justice Misra in a rare press conference and accused him of misusing his role of assigning cases as the Supreme Court's Master of the Roster. He is currently hearing the Assam National Register of Citizens or NRC issue.

Justice Gogoi's name is likely to be made formal when Justice Misra replies to the Law Ministry letter. He retires on October 2 and has to name a successor at least one month before that.

October 2 being a national holiday, October 1 will be the last working day of Chief Justice Misra. 

Justice Gogoi, who was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2012, is known to be a soft-spoken but tough judge.

Born in 1954, Justice Gogoi joined the Bar in 1978. He was subsequently appointed as Permanent Judge of Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001. Later transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in September 2010, he went on to become the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court in February 2011. He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2012.

(With inputs from IANS)