New Delhi, August 5: Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi, who also served as the Chief Justice of India (CJI), has denied reports that claimed he had tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Speaking to a portal, Justice (Retired) Gogoi said: "The news is incorrect". The clarification came after some regional media portals claimed that Gogoi had contracted coronavirus (COVID-19). List of Indian Politicians Who Tested Positive For COVID-19: From Amit Shah to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Here Are All Those Who Contracted Coronavirus.
Ranjan Gogoi was one of the five judges of a constitution bench of the Supreme Court, which had in November last year, ruled unanimously in favour of building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. The bench had also granted a five-acre land to the Muslim parties for the construction of the mosque elsewhere in Ayodhya. He was also among the four sitting top court judges who had held a first-of-its-kind press conference in January 2018 when Dipak Misra was the CJI. Kamal Rani Varun, Cabinet Minister in Uttar Pradesh, Dies of COVID-19 in Lucknow.
Ranjan Gogoi Confirms He Is Not COVID-19 Positive:
After reports surfaced that former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha MP, Ranjan Gogoi tested positive for #COVID19, Justice Gogoi confirms to @barandbench that the "news is incorrect." pic.twitter.com/5GDzGyKSaP
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) August 4, 2020
President Ram Nath Kovid nominated Gogoi, who retired in November 2019, to Rajya Sabha in March this year. Gogoi became a judge in the Gauhati High Court in 2001 before being transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010. He was appointed Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2011 before being elevated to the Supreme Court on April 23, 2012. He was appointed the 46th Chief Justice of India on October 3, 2018.
In another politically sensitive judgment, a three-judge bench, headed by Gogoi, and comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph, on 14 November dismissed a review petition challenging the Rafale deal case. A bench headed by Gogoi also censured Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for wrongfully attributing the "Chowkidar chor hai" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the top court.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 05, 2020 11:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).