File photo: Justice AK Ganguly
Justice AK Ganguly, the former Supreme Court judge who is being investigated for alleged sexual harassment, has said that he is "undecided" on whether to resign as chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission.
"I have not decided. I am undecided," he said in Kolkata, adding " (the) time has not come to think about it."
Many others, however, disagree, including BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.
Last week, the Supreme Court confirmed that he was the un-named judge who a young woman lawyer had blogged about in November, accusing him of sexually harassing her in a hotel room last December.
Justice Ganguly retired in February last year. He told NDTV in an interview last week that he is "shattered and disturbed" by the allegations.
The woman who blogged about him and he have testified for a committee of three serving Supreme Court judges. They have delivered their report to P Sathasivam, the Chief Justice of India.
Senior leaders from different parties have said that the enquiry against him obliges him to quit. "Not only Caesar but Caesar's wife must be above suspicion," tweeted the BJP's Sushma Swaraj. In Bengal, leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress like parliamentarian Kalyan Bandopadhyay have echoed that sentiment.
Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee said calls for Justice Ganguly's resignation are premature. "At this point, to sit in judgement, merely on the basis of the accusations made against him will not be correct. I can understand and I repeat - I'm not saying he should not resign till a court of law finds him guilty - that may be a long process. But there should be some material, some strictures passed by some committee or some adverse observations. Otherwise what a dangerous precedent it will be," he said.
Retired IAS officer Promila Shanker and SN Singh, who was the Delhi University's Dean of Law Faculty have written the Chief Justice of India asking for a criminal case to be registered against Justice Ganguly by the Delhi Police.