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Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi recently made scathing remarks against media outlets and web portals, which indulge in attacking judges. Calling out the portals which engage in badgering opinions upon those responsible for dispensation of Justice, Justice Gogoi said that these are the entities which are the real threat to India.

Justice Gogoi was speaking at the India Today Conclave 2021 and while elaborating on the roadmap for Indian Judiciary, he said that Judges are often forced to cow down before these media outlets and portals, to subscribe to a certain conduct which is ascribed as the only “righteous” way, failing which they are surmounted by a deluge of attacks.

 “Look, you better do what I want, else you will be attacked, in the media, India Today, NDTV, Indian express and other web portals. We are telling you to conduct yourself the way we want or else we will attack you,” said the Former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha MP

Justice Gogoi deprecated the practice of attempts to cow down judges, insisting that doing so impedes the justice delivery system.

“What is this attack, does a judge or a former judge get cowed down by attacks? Will he ever be able to function if he is afraid of being attacked while in office or after office?”
- Justice Gogoi

 He added that unfortunately many judges are succumbing to these bullying tactics. “This is the real threat,” he said.

The former Chief Justice of India retired on November 17, 2019, following which he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. This appointment was met with severe backlash, even though, several judges have taken up posts in tribunals, ad-hoc commissions as well as houses of parliament in the last two decades after demitting office. A barrage of opinions was unleashed against his appointment, more often than not, posing speculations that the same was done as he presided over the landmark Ram Janmabhoomi judgment.

It is often noticed that whenever a judge passes an order or judgment (or even makes a comment in passing while engaging with the bar during proceedings) and a certain section does not agree with it, aspersions are cast on them for being hand in glove with the Government of India.

Take for example the recent grant of bail to Editor-in-chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami by the Supreme Court of India last year. No stone was left unturned to deprecate the Highest Court of the country as being a “sell-out”. Illustrators and comedians were up-in-arms against the Top Court, replacing the unwavering tricolor upon the highest court with the Bhartiya Janta Party’s Party symbol. Compare this with the stay of arrest granted to Rajdeep Sardesai last week. No illustrations, no comics with an agenda and no mention of the magnitude of offences that he has been charged with.