New Delhi: A plea challenging the appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday by saying that the petition was “devoid of merits”.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said: “We are of the view that it is not the stage to interfere (with the appointment).”

The petition against Justice Gogoi’s appointment to be the next Chief Justice of India was filed by two lawyers.

The two advocates, RP Luthra, and Satyaveer Sharma had in their plea said that they were seeking adjudication of the question of law to rely on the contents of the press conference held on January 12 and was called by four senior judges (Justices Chelameswar (since retd), Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph, and Madan B Lokur) of the apex court.

The plea further said that the petitioners were relying on a letter without a date on it to the Chief Justice of India and was circulated by the four Supreme Court judges.

“This act of the four senior-most judges of the court was not less than a sabotage to the judicial system of the country. They tried to arouse public furore in the country in the names of certain internal differences in this court,” the plea had alleged.

It had said that “the petitioners are aggrieved of the actions and omissions on the part of respondent 1 (Union of India) and respondent 2 (Chief Justice of India), which has resulted into appointment of respondent 3 (Justice Ranjan Gogoi) as the Chief Justice of India instead of reprimanding him for his illegal and anti-institutional act”.

The petition had claimed that the act of both the Respondent 1 and Respondent 2 “is illegal and unconstitutional and also against the canons of law because the appointment on the highest post of the judiciary has been awarded to a person who is guilty of committing judicial impropriety and judicial misconduct”.

The plea had sought the invalidation of the declaration of the of appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India with effect from October 3.

The retiring Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra had recommended to the President, the appointment of Justice Gogoi as the 46^th Chief Justice of India, to which the President accepted. Gogoi is slated to take the oath on October 3 after Chief Justice Dipak Misra retires.

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