Gogoi sworn in as chief justice

He becomes first person from the Northeast to reach the top position in India’s judiciary

Justice Ranjan Gogoi was yesterday sworn in as the 46th Chief Justice of India. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath to Justice Gogoi, 63, at a brief ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan’s historic Darbar Hall.

Justice Gogoi, who took the oath in English, will have a tenure of a little over 13 months and will retire on November 17, 2019. He succeeds Justice Dipak Misra who retired Tuesday on attaining the age of 65 years.

Leaders attend ceremony

Several leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Manmohan Singh and former premier H.D. Deve Gowda were present at the ceremony.

Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Trinamool Congress leaders Sudip Bandhpadhyay and Derek O’Brien were among the opposition leaders present at the event.

Justice Gogoi’s predecessor Dipak Misra was seen shaking hands with dignitaries before the ceremony began. Former CJIs, including T.S. Thakur and J.S. Khehar, were also present.

Justice Gogoi, the first person from the Northeast to reach the top position in the judiciary, was appointed Chief Justice of India on September 13.

Born on November 18, 1954, Justice Gogoi, who hails from Dibrugarh in Assam, enrolled as an advocate in 1978. He was appointed permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001.