Highlights:
- The Supreme Court of India said a conspiracy could be linked to Justice Gogoi
- Judges cleared that the committee was not to inquire into the allegations against Justice Ranjan Gogoi
- Supreme Court closed the inquiry set-up after Justice Ranjan Gogoi was accused of the sexual harassment
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India said that any possibility of a conspiracy against the former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi cannot be ruled out as it closed the inquiry which was set up after he was accused of the sexual harassment.
The Supreme Court said such a conspiracy could be linked to the decision of Justice Gogoi which also includes his views on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and also his attempts where he wants to streamline the Supreme Court registry.
The decision of the Supreme Court was based on the report of the former Justice A K Patnaik, who had been tasked with investigating a larger conspiracy in the allegations against the former CJI Ranjan Gogoi and “whether middlemen and fixers working with disgruntled court officials were trying to fix judges”.
The inquiry was ordered when lawyer Utsav Bains raised the possibility of a conspiracy in the allegations which had surfaced back in 2019.
The top court said, “The Justice Patnaik report acknowledges the existence of a conspiracy against the ex-Chief Justice and it cannot be ruled out,” and added that the panel was unable to obtain electronic records.
The Court also said, “Certain tough administrative decisions were taken to streamline the process in the registry”.
Also Read: Love Jihad: CJP Files PIL in Supreme Court Challenging Anti-Conversion Laws in Himachal & MP
The Court also said that the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, in a report, said that Justice Ranjan Gogoi had taken a serious view in the cases which were related to the National Register of Citizens and there were “strong reasons to believe some are unhappy with the decision”.
As the court closed the case, it said, “We are of the view no true purpose would be served. Pleadings are closed and suo motu disposed of. The report be put in sealed cover.”
The judges made it evidently clear that the committee was not set up to inquire into the allegations against the former Chief Justice of India but to investigate a larger conspiracy to frame judges.
Due to limited access to the records and also based on evidence and material, it was also not possible to find corroboration for the allegations, the report noted.
The court said, However, in view of the mandate of the order dated 2019 of the Supreme Court, the report opines that it cannot really enter into whether the decisions of the Chief Justice on the judicial side triggered off the conspiracy against him”.
Reacting to the order from the Supreme Court, Utsav Bains said, it was a vindication of his belief that there was a conspiracy against former Chief Justice Gogoi.
