Music Composer Vishal Dadlani regards ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s legacy as “disgraceful and cowardly”

November 18: In a twitter post, Vishal Dadlani, Bollywood Music Composer and also a judge of popular Television Reality Show ‘Indian Idol’ suddenly makes a comment about the recently retired Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi. In that comment, he criticised ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi in strict terms.

Vishal wrote, “Goodbye, ex-CJI Gogoi, and I hope you can stomach the disgraceful and cowardly legacy you have left this august Office.” Ranjan Gogoi, a native of Assam retired as the Chief Justice of India on 17 November, 2019. He was allevated to the post of the Chief Justice of India on 3 October, 2018. Vishal wrote this comment in his twitter handle on Monday, 18 November, 2019.

In the same twitter post, Vishal Dadlani gave a link of an article by one Gautam Bhatia. The title of the article is “A little brief authority”: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and the Rise of the Executive Court. Vishal in his tweet also wrote, “This article by @gautambhatia88 sums it up.”

Goodbye, ex-CJI Gogoi, and I hope you can stomach the disgraceful and cowardly legacy you have left this august Office.

This article by @gautambhatia88 sums it up.https://t.co/02kSxLix16

— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) November 18, 2019

A casual glance of the article referred by Vishal Dadlani reveals an analysis of the functioning of the apex court of India under former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi. The write up severely criticises Gogoi for his role in the upgradation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam which excluded more than 19 lakhs people of Assam. His rather slow response on Kashmir was another point made in the write up. Ayodhya land dispute, entry of women into Sabarimala temple, Rafale case were also cited to criticise Mr. Gogoi. Interested readers can consult this piece, which discusses some of these issues in detail, and what they mean both for the ex-Chief Justice’s legacy and for the institutional credibility of the Supreme Court.