Orderly succession

With the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, recommending the name of senior-most judge, Ranjan Gogoi, as his successor upon his retirement next month, all speculation about the latter’s supersession ought to end immediately. Critics of the Government feared that Misra would seek to penalize Gogoi for the latter’s extraordinary behavior in joining that recalcitrant judge J Chelameswar, since retired, in holding a press conference against him earlier this year. It was also suggested that since Gogoi is the son of a former Congress Party chief minister of Assam the Modi Government would only be too pleased to bypass him for the CJI’s post. Happily, Misra has paid due to regard to the precedent and nominated the senior-most judge as his successor. It is now for Gogoi to prove that he can be free from any bias while functioning as the head of the country’s judiciary. Given his background, he will be watched closely.