Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi defends nomination

> Former CJI Speaks to Pratidin Time

> Defends his decision to accept the nomination

> Taken the decision after much thinking"

>Congress, Owisi criticises Mr Gogoi

Former Chief Justice of India  Ranjan Gogoi defended his nomination to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India and will accept it humbly.

"I am going to Delhi tomorrow," said Mr Ranjan Gogoi, who gave monumental judgement on Ayodhya and piloted the NRC in Assam.

Mr Gogoi spoke to the Pratidin Time at length on Tuesday morning and sad that he had given ample time before taking the decision when he was asked about the controversy surrounding his nomination.

In a notification issued by Home Ministry dated Monday, it was announced that President Ram Nath Kovind is nominating Gogoi to fill the vacancy originating due to retirement of one of the nominated members.

He is the second person from Assam to be nominated after educationist Mrinal Miri.The maximum strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 members, out of which 12 are nominated by the President of India.

Responding to the criticism by some political parties besides debates in twitter, he said that it's time to set precedence.

"I have accepted the offer of the nomination to the Rajya Sabha because of strong conviction, that the legislature and the Judiciary must at some point of time worked together for Nation-building," he said.

"My presence in  Parliament will be an opportunity to project the views of the Judiciary before the legislature and vice versa," he said this morning when he was asked about the mixed feelings of the Twitterati about his nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, the Congress has lashed out at the nomination of former chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as a Rajya Sabha candidate.

No Chief Justice has been nominated before to the Upper House, usually dominated by celebrities and artistes, by the head of the state. And few members of the judiciary have crossed over to the space of legislature.

Citing news reports, Congress spokesperson Randeep SinghSurjewala questioned the government's move, saying, "Justice Lokur rightly summarizesit – Has the last bastion fallen?"

Justice Lokur, who has criticized the move, was part of thegroup of the then senior judges who had called an unprecedented pressconference in January 2018 to lash out at then chief justice Dipak Misra.

But Mr Ranjan Gogoi this morning while talking to Mrinal Talukdar was nonchalant about all these. "Let God give me the strength to have an independent voice in the Parliament' he said.

"I have much to say but let me take the oath in theParliament and then I shall open up" he promised