AG KK Venugopal Refuses Contempt of Court Proceedings Against Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi

Attorney General KK refuses sanction to prosecute former CJI for contempt of court on a complaint made by transparency activist Saket Gokhle. Mr Gokhle had alleged the remarks made by the former Chief Justice of India during an event hosted by India lowered the dignity of the Supreme Court.

In his response, AG KK Venugopal acknowledged that the remarks made by Mr Gogoi are strong. However, it is a reflection of his frustration against the ills of the judiciary, he added. 

"The statements were made for the good of the judiciary and will not scandalise the institution." - AG KK Venugopal

On February 23, Gokhale wrote a letter to the Attorney General against Ranjan Gogoi's statements claiming that the remarks made by him undermine the status of the judiciary and lower the dignity of the Supreme Court.

The remarks which were made by Mr Gogoi are as follows: 

“You want a 5 trillion dollar economy but you have a ram shackled judiciary”,

“If you were to go to the court, you would be only washing your dirty linen in the court, you won’t get a verdict I have no hesitation in saying it”,

 “Only corporations willing to take chances with their millions of rupees go to Supreme Court”, 

“Unfortunately, there are many judges who are succumbing to criticism made in media”.

On being asked about his opinion about the working of the judiciary, he said that the judicial system has not worked for more reason than one.

Gokhale's contention was that such remarks made by an Ex CJI carry more weight in comparison to comments made by a layperson against the judiciary. In his letter, Gokhale had also referred to contempt cases initiated against Kunal Kamra and Rachita Taneja stating that these two cases serve as benchmarks on what constitutes contempt of court in AG Venugopal's opinion.

Former CJI’s comments were far more contemptuous in their degree and seriousness in scandalizing the Supreme Court in comparison to the innocent tweets made by the other two individuals, Ghokale mentioned in his letter.

Meanwhile, the news of AG declining consent against the former CJI has reignited the debate around contempt of court in India. Double standards or fair verdict, what's your opinion?