Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was honoured on Tuesday with the Assam Baibhab, the highest civilian award in the state.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria presented the award to Gogoi at a ceremony held at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati, with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar present as the chief guest.
The Assam Baibhab award includes a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and lifelong medical treatment sponsored by the government. It features an image of the Jaapi and Assam Baibhav engraved in Assamese on a Hollong tree leaf.
Gogoi received the award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of justice and jurisprudence. Notably, he was the first Chief Justice of India from the Northeast region. His tenure as the CJI gained prominence, particularly for presiding over the verdict in 2019 that facilitated the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Following his retirement, Gogoi was appointed as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
This marks the third edition of the Assam Baibhab award. The inaugural recipient was industrialist Ratan Tata, followed by journalist Tapan Saikia in the second edition.
In addition to the Assam Baibhab, the Assam Saurav and Assam Gaurav awards were also conferred upon 21 other recipients.