Retired judges are no longer “colleagues” and their opinions are not binding, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said on Tuesday, in reaction to the statement by former top judge and current Rajya Sabha member, Ranjan Gogoi, about the ”doubtful jurisprudence” of the Basic Structure of the Constitution
The Chief Justice was responding to senior advocate Kapil Sibal’s reference to the statement made by Mr. Gogoi in Parliament on August 7.
Mr. Gogoi’s statement came during the passage of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. He supported the Bill, which was passed as law despite multiple judgments from the top court upholding the elected Delhi government’s power to administer the capital. The new law has dropped the administrative reins and the bureaucracy of the capital back into the hands of the Lieutenant-Governor, considered an arm of the Centre.
