Justice AK Ganguly speaks out on the allegations made against him: highlights

Kolkata: Former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly, who stepped down aschief of the West Bengal human rights panel after being indicted for sexualharassment, has denied all allegations made against him. Last month, acommittee of three Supreme Court judges had found the former judge guilty ofsexually harassing the lawyer who interned for him at a five-star hotel inDelhi in December 2012.

He spoke out against the allegations. Here are the highlights:

• There is no charge against me.
• I have not received a reply to my letter to the Chief Justice of India.
• I feel shattered by the allegations that have been made; they are very unreasonable.
• It was very difficult for my family members to take it anymore, the kind of campaign that was going on against me on the basis of some allegations.
• I have a very good ground and defense against each one of them.
• It is totally a one-sided effort by both the state and central government for my ouster.
• They went to the extent of sending it to the president for a reference to the Supreme Court.
• Supreme Court has already dealt with me unfairly. I was not feeling very happy about the situation. They were building up pressure on me, with ugly slogans and burning effigies.
• So all this made me feel to give up my post.
• Can I force a glass of wine on a woman? I can't do it with my wife of 45 years. Forget wine, not even tea or coffee I can force on anyone.
• I will never file a defamation case against a person who is my student, I'd rather go to jail.
• She (Mamata Banerjee) never liked my continuance here. My case is a single case, others will not suffer like me.
• I wish the intern well. I want her to succeed in her profession.
  
• Did not feel stepping down would have been (seen as) admission of guilt. Resignation is not an admission of guilt.
• There is no disappointment, I am not giving up my fight for ensuring human rights or rights for people.