Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi’s statements on the “ramshackle” state of the country’s judicial system was “shocking”.

“I had read that PM Narendra Modi in a meeting with Supreme Court judges praised the country’s judicial system. Obviously, we all felt happy about it then. So, the former CJI’s statements were indeed startling and a matter of concern for all. Was Mr. Gogoi, who has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, trying to tell the truth about the judiciary with his remarks?” asked Mr. Pawar.

On Thursday, the former CJI, in a conclave organised by a prominent media house, was quoted as saying that one had to wait for an inordinate time to secure a verdict if one approached Indian courts.

“How important the judiciary is as a constitutional body need not be emphasised. You want a five trillion-dollar economy, but your judiciary is ramshackled,” Mr. Gogoi said.

Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut too expressed concern at the ex-CJI’s remarks. “However, it might have helped had he brought some incidents about the tardiness of justice and the failings of the country’s judiciary when he [Mr. Gogoi] was the serving CJI,” Mr. Raut said.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister, while addressing an event to mark the golden jubilee of the Gujarat High Court, had lauded the Supreme Court’s achievements by stating that it had become the first in the world to conduct hearings through videoconferencing.

Mr. Modi also said the judiciary had always interpreted the Constitution positively and that it had always performed its duty, be it safeguarding the rights of people or in prioritising national interest whenever such situations arose.