Retired Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly (File photo)
Former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly, indicted for sexually harassing a young intern, has not resigned yet as the Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission.
While some political parties have demanded that he quit immediately, two of the country's most famous lawyers - Kapil Sibal and Arun Jaitley - said the Supreme Court's response to the case is glaringly inadequate. (
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"Don't disturb me, I have already tolerated a lot," Justice Ganguly, 66, said angrily to reporters in Kolkata today, refusing to comment further.
Yesterday, the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam, said there was evidence of "unwanted conduct of a sexual nature" by Justice Ganguly in a five-star hotel last December. But he also said that the Supreme Court has no administrative control over a retired judge and can therefore take no action against him.
Referring to that decision, Mr Sibal, the Law Minister, said, "Why did they wash their hands off the matter... the fact of the matter is that we all know that ultimately the infallible are also ordinary mortals...... and this is a case where the dignity of a woman is involved."
Mr Jaitley, who is a senior leader of the BJP, posted on Facebook, that the Supreme Court "cannot follow an escapist route." He added, "The Supreme Court is fully empowered on the Judicial side to ensure that the law takes its own course. It cannot escape from its judicial responsibility."
The Delhi Police has contacted the young woman lawyer, asking her if she would like to file a formal complaint against Justice Ganguly. She has yet to reply, said sources.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banejee, however, has written to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking "urgent appropriate action" against Justice Ganguly, who has been a frequent critic of her government. Her party, the Trinamool Congress, has said he should quit the state's human rights commission immediately.