Kolkata:
Former Chief Justice of India Justice Altamas Kabir today defended Justice AK Ganguly, the former Supreme Court judge who has been accused of sexual harassment by an intern, by saying he found the charges against Justice Ganguly hard to believe.
"I've known Ashok for a long time... he has been a member of the judiciary here... we've practiced together... well, I never ever had any kind of - say, the allegations that have been made - I never ever would believe that this is possible... let's put it that way," Justice Kabir said.
Justice Kabir added that conspiracies are usually hatched against people in positions of influence.
"See, the further a person climbs usually there are more allegations against them, isn't it? Conspiracies against a common man is a very unusual thing... only when someone holds a high post, that's when conspiracies happen, isn't it?
Justice Ganguly's name was revealed by the Supreme Court yesterday.
However, he has denied the allegations against him and said he was "shocked and shattered" by them. "I am totally innocent," he told NDTV, adding "I have worked with several interns in my life... a large number of them... I treat them like my children."
The former judge has testified for three serving Supreme Court judges who are investigating the charges. So has the young woman lawyer who complained against him in a blog earlier this month, without naming him. She said he harassed her in a hotel room in December.
The inquiry against justice Ganguly began just days before Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal was accused of raping a younger female colleague. The cases have often been clubbed in a national debate on men in positions of power violating women in the workplace.