File photo: Justice AK Ganguly
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress today said that former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly, who is being investigated for alleged sexual harassment, should resign as chairman of the state's human rights panel.
"Justice Ganguly needs to resign to restore the sanctity of his office. A sense of public propriety and decency demands this," said Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien.
The former judge had earlier said he is "undecided" on whether to resign. "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, who tweeted on Monday, "Not only Caesar but Caesar's wife must be above suspicion."
Last week, the Supreme Court confirmed that Justice Ganguly 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.
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," he said.
Retired IAS officer Promila Shanker and SN Singh, who was the Delhi University's Dean of Law Faculty, have written to the Chief Justice of India asking for a criminal case to be registered against Justice Ganguly by the Delhi Police.