NEW DELHI: Strongly criticising former CJI Ranjan Gogoi for accepting nomination to Rajya Sabha , former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph on Tuesday said the ex-CJI’s decision had compromised independence and impartiality of the judiciary and shaken people’s confidence in it.“We have discharged our debt to the nation - was the statement made by Justice Gogoi along with the three of us (Justices J Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph) on January 12, 2018. I am surprised as to how Justice Gogoi, who once exhibited such courage of conviction to uphold the independence of judiciary, has compromised the noble principles of the independence and impartiality of the judiciary,” he said. He was referring to a press conference of four SC judges against then CJI Dipak Misra Justice Joseph said he had decided not to take up any post-retirement assignment from the government to keep the independence and impartiality of judiciary intact. “According to me, the acceptance of nomination as member of Rajya Sabha by a former CJI has certainly shaken the confidence of the common man on the independence of judiciary, which is also one of the basic structures of the Constitution,” he said.“Our great nation continues to be firmly grounded on the basic structures and constitutional values, thanks mainly to the independent judiciary. The moment this confidence of the people is shaken, the moment there is a perception that a section among judges is otherwise biased or looking forward, the tectonic alignment of the nation built on solid foundations is shaken,” he added.“Only to strengthen this alignment, the collegium system was introduced by the Supreme Court in 1993 to make the judiciary completely independent and not inter-dependent. I came out in the public in an unprecedented move along with Justices Chelameswar, Gogoi and Lokur to tell the nation that there was a threat to this foundation and now I feel the threat is at large,” he said.