Justice Ganguly resigns as NUJS honorary professor

Kolkata: Beleaguered West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairman Justice (retd) Ashok Kumar Ganguly on Friday resigned from the post of honorary professor of the National University of Juridical Sciences, a student of which had made allegations of sexual harassment against him.

"Some members of the faculty were expressing their reservation about my continuation. So I have sent my resignation today," Ganguly told PTI here.

On the resignation from the post of chairman of the WBHRC, he said earlier in the day that he would prefer to remain 'quiet'.

"I have read about it (cabinet clearance of presidential reference) in newspapers. What can I say about it? The development of events is not in my hand. I haven't decided anything and would prefer to stay quiet," Justice Ganguly told PTI.

The process for removal of Justice Ganguly as WBHRC chairman moved a step forward on Thursday with the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for sending a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court for a probe into the allegation of sexual misconduct against a law intern who was the student of the NUJS.

The proposal will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee who will then send the matter to the Chief Justice of India seeking a probe into the issue based on the three points raised in the reference.

A three-judge Supreme Court committee formed by the Chief Justice of India had earlier indicted Justice Ganguly of committing an 'act of unwelcome behaviour' and 'conduct of sexual nature' towards the woman law intern.

Justice Ganguly on Friday attended the office of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) as usual, though for a brief period. Asked on the presidential reference, Justice Ganguly said that the development of events is not in his hand. 

Welcoming the decision of Justice Ganguly to resign as an honorary professor of the NUJS, a law college spokesperson said they appreciated the decision.

NUJS spokesperson, Ruchira Goswami said, "Our Vice-Chancellor P Ishwara Bhatt has appreciated the stand and this has been informed to our faculty as they had demanded that the university should dissociate with him."

The premier law institute's faculty members had written to the VC saying Justice Ganguly's continued association with the institution undermines the ideals of NUJS that has always strived to teach and foster justice, including gender justice. As an honorary professor of NUJS, the retired Supreme Court judge attended guest lectures besides supporting other academic activities.

Next: Petition moved in SC against removal of Ganguly

Petition moved in SC against removal of Ganguly 

New Delhi: A petition was on Friday moved in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the Centre from making any attempt to remove former Supreme Court judge A.K. Ganguly as Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) in the wake of allegation of sexually harassing a law intern.

The petition in this regard was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam which agreed to hear it on January 6.

The petition filed by Delhi resident M. Padma Narayan Singh, who is a doctor by profession, has also sought quashing of the complaint on which a three-member panel of apex court judge indicted Justice Ganguly for unwelcome behaviour against the woman intern.

The petitioner, who is a senior citizen, alleged that Ganguly has become a victim of conspiracy as he, as an arbitrator, had decided a matter between a prominent football club of Kolkata and All India Football Federation (AIFF) in which the intern had also participated.

She has also named Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising as one of the respondents in the petition, accusing her of working relentlessly to get Justice Ganguly arrested unlawfully.

The petition also criticised politicians across the party lines demanding removal of Ganguly as WBHRC Chairman.

While contending that Ganguly's act did not fall under sexual harassment, the petition said, "the limitation period for raising complaint under the Sexual Harassment Act 2013 is only three months, since the last act of alleged harassment" and this was not followed in this case.