The Supreme Court on Saturday pronounced its verdict in the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, includes Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer.
Ranjan Gogoi:
The 46th Chief Justice of India - Ranjan Gogoi. He retires as India's CJI on November 17. But how did it all start for him? He practised in the Gauhati High Court on constitutional, taxation and company matters. Gogoi was appointed as a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001. It was in September 2010 that Justice Gogoi was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 2011, Ranjan Gogoi was appointed as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, and then a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2012. In the Ayodhya case, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has been upright in getting an ambulance order in the courtroom. Though he abstains from asking probing questions but often engages other judges on the bench on several critical aspects in the case.
Justice SA Bobde:
Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, or SA Bobde, practiced Law at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court with appearances at Bombay before the Principal seat and before the Supreme Court for over 21 years. Bobde was designated as a senior advocate in 1998. It was in March, 2000, that Justice Bobde was elevated to the bench of the Bombay High Court as Additional Judge. He was sworn in as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in October 2012. In April 2013, Justice Bobde was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India. In the Ayodhya case, Justice Bobde has asked probing questions on the belief and faith of parties involved.
Justice DY Chandrachud:
In May 2016, Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, or DY Chandrachud, was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. Previously DY Chandrachud was the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. From March, 2000, DY Chandrachud was a judge in the Bombay High Court. Chandrachud practised Law at the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court. Justice DY Chandrachud was also appointed as the director of the Maharashtra Judicial academy. Justice Chandrachud has scrutinised the aspect of faith from a legal perspective in the Ayodhya dispute. He has often tested both parties on the relevance of their arguments in the realm of the existing legal regime.
Justice Ashok Bhushan:
It was ain 1979 that Justice Ashok Bhushan enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh. He started Civil and Original side at Allahabad High Court till elevation to the bench. His scope of work was not just limited to that. Ashok Bhushan also worked as a standing counsel of Allahabad University, State mineral Development Corporation and several municipal boards, banks and education institutions. Bhushan was appointed as Senior Vice President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association. Ashok Bhushan was elevated as permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court in 2001. He has served as Chairman, Higher Judicial Services Committee. In 2014, he was sworn in as the judge of the Kerala High Court and took charge as acting Chief Justice in 2014. He was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in 2015. He was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court in 2016. Justice Bhushan has been dexterous in pulling out all relevant information from the cross-examination of the witnesses and often probe the counsels on the component of faith attached in the matter.
SA Nazeer:
S Abdul Nazeer practised in the Karnataka High Court. He was appointed as an Additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2003 and as a Permanent Judge in 2004. Justice S Abdul Nazeer was elevated as Supreme Court judge in 2017. Justice Nazeer has patiently heard the counsels in the Ayodhya title dispute.
