Justice Ranjan Gogoi: From Dibrugarh to top position in judiciary

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is all set to become the next Chief Justice of India, has come a long way from Dibrugarh in Assam to reach the top position of judiciary - the first person from the Northeast to do so.

Born on November 18, 1954, Gogoi did his schooling in Don Bosco School Dibrugarh before studying history in Delhi University's St Stephen's College.

Son of former Assam Chief Minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi, he was enrolled as an advocate in 1978. He practised in the Gauhati High Court on constitutional, taxation and company matters.

He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001.

On September 9, 2010, he was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was appointed as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 12, 2011 and then a judge of the Supreme Court on April 23, 2012.

Gogoi, 63, hit the headlines in January by holding a controversial press conference along with three other senior-most judges of the top court and four months later he once again drew everyone's attention with his remark, "independent judges and noisy journalists are democracy's first line of defence".

A "revolution, not reform" is needed to keep the institution of judiciary serviceable for the common man, Gogoi had said.

Gogoi would assume office on October 3 as the 46th CJI.

He has delivered various significant judgements including Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC), setting up of special courts to exclusively try MPs and MLAs, Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts for remission of their life sentences and appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal among others.