Justice Ranjan Gogoi retires as Chief Justice of India

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the first person from northeast to reach the top of judiciary and credited for bringing the curtains down on the decades-old politically and religiously sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, retired as the chief justice of India on Sunday.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi's tenure as judge and as Chief Justice of India (CJI) was marked by some controversies and personal allegations but that never came in the way of his judicial work that was reflected in the last few days when benches headed by him delivered some path-breaking judgements.

He etched his name in the annals of history when a five-judge bench headed by him on November 9 brought an end to the Ayodhya land dispute, which dates back to even before the Supreme Court came into existence in 1950.