New Delhi: Voices calling for former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly's resignation from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission for sexually harassing a law intern has grown louder inside Parliament with several MPs demanding tough action in the case. The Trinamool Congress as well as the Samajwadi Party asked the government to step in and act against Ganguly.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien said if Ganguly doesn't step down on his own, the government will have to initiate action against him. "What is the message we are giving by not acting against Ganguly when the three-member Supreme Court Committee has said that his act was improper. There should be action against him. He should be arrested, or should resign or President should sack him," said Derek O'Brien.
But the former Supreme Court judge has maintained that he will not resign from the post of Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. "I have explained everything to the Supreme Court Committee. I will not resign and step down from the post of WBHRC," Justice Ganguly had said on Monday.
With new allegations being leveled against him, Justice Ganguly questioned the motive to leak the confidential affidavit to the media. "I do not know the agenda and motive to leak confidential affidavit to media," he said.
His statement came even as Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal said that the government may intervene and take an action in the matter if the former Supreme Court judge does not resign from the post of the Chairman of the WBHRC. Stating the provisions according to law, Sibal said, "there is a procedure where government can step in on proved misbehaviour. If he does not resign, we will take a position on it."
There has been a rise in criticism against Ganguly with Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising also taking a stand while pressing for a need of stringent laws against judges.
Jaisingh also added that there is a tendency to belittle what happened with the law intern. A woman lawyer had in November leveled allegations of sexual harassment against Ganguly, during the time when she interned with him in 2012.
The woman lawyer who has alleged that Justice Ganguly sexually harassed her, also claimed in her affidavit that he propositioned her and asked her to stay in his room. "The judge informed me that it may not be possible to have a separate room arranged for me, and asked me if I would stay in the same room with him," she said.
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