More Opposition MPs submit privilege notices against Ranjan Gogoi

Gogoi attended the Winter Session for the first time on Monday, the seventh time he was present in the House since his nomination in 2020

Six more Opposition parties have joined the Congress and the Trinamool Congress in submitting privilege notices against Rajya Sabha nominated MP and former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi for his comments that he attends the House when he feels so, saying these were against the dignity of the House.

Apart from Congress and Trinamool, MPs from Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, NCP, CPI(M), CPI and Muslim League have also now submitted notices.

Sources saod the MPs who submitted the notices include Sena’s Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Vandana Chavan and Fauzia Khan, CPI(M)’s John Brittas and Dr V Sivadasan, CPI’s Binoy Viswam and Muslim League’s Abdul Wahab.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress' Mausam Noor and Jawahar Sircar as well as three MPs from the Congress had submitted the notices. Noor also wrote separately to the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha on the issue.

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The MPs allege his statements "undermine the dignity" of the Rajya Sabha and wanted it to be forwarded to the Committee of Privileges.

"Law will take its own course. I am not attending today (Wednesday)...I was there on Monday and on Tuesday. I should be there on Thursday," Justice Gogoi was quoted by ANI as saying. He was asked about privilege notices against him and his attendance in the House.

Justice Gogoi attended the Winter Session for the first time in the Winter Session on Monday, the seventh time he was present in the House since his nomination to the Upper House in March 2020.

He made controversial remarks during interviews to promote his newly released memoir ‘Justice for the Judge’.

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During his interview, he told NDTV, "I go to the Rajya Sabha when I feel like, when I think there are matters of importance on which I should speak. I am a nominated member, not governed by any party whip. Therefore, whenever the bell rings for the party members to come, it does not bind me. I go there of my choice and come out on my choice. I am an independent member of the House."

He said he had given a letter to the Rajya Sabha informing it about not attending the Session and that he was "not comfortable going there" as he could enter the Rajya Sabha after only a RT-PCR. He also said that social distancing norms were "not being observed" in Rajya Sabha and he did not find the sitting arrangements very comfortable.

He said in the interview, which was quoted in Noor's notice, "what is this magic about RS? I would have been better off in terms of pay, emoluments if I had been a chairman of a tribunal. I am not taking a penny from the Rajya Sabha."

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