Ganguly resigns as Bengal rights panel chief: TV reports

Hindustan Times  Kolkata/New Delhi, January 06, 2014

First Published: 17:49 IST(6/1/2014) | Last Updated: 18:55 IST(6/1/2014)

Retired Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly, who has been accused by a former law intern of sexual harassment, on Monday resigned as chairperson of West Bengal's human rights commission, TV channels reported quoting unnamed sources.
 
Ganguly met West Bengal governor MK Narayanan in Kolkata and gave his resignation letter after weeks of pressure from activists and civic society groups, said CNN-IBN and Times Now.
 
Ganguly, chairperson of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), had last week quit as guest faculty of the National University of Juridical Sciences.
 
He has denied the charges levelled by the woman.
 
Leaving the Raj

Bhavan around 5.30pm, he refused to utter a word about what happened inside. He waved away mediapersons jostling around his car.
 
The 62-year old retired justice, best known for the 2G verdict that cancelled 122 telecom licenses, is facing a Presidential reference according to a decision of the Union cabinet on January 2.
 
According to rules, if the President feels so he will refer the matter to the Supreme Court that would conduct a fresh inquiry to find out whether Ganguly is guilty or not.
 
On November 29, the Supreme Court had named Ganguly as the judge who allegedly sexually harassed a law graduate who was interning with him.
 
A panel set up by the Supreme Court in December had found that prima facie there was evidence was against justice Ganguly, but advised that "no follow up action" was required against him because he had retired.
 
In a blog post in November, the woman had accused a judge — without naming him — of sexually harassing her in a Delhi hotel on December 24, 2012, when she was interning with him.
 
The woman alleged that while the nation was seething in rage over the horrific Delhi gang rape a few days earlier, she herself had been a victim of "assault". "For my supposed diligence, I was rewarded with sexual assault (not physically injurious, but nevertheless violating) from a man old enough to be my grandfather."
 
 
Justice Ganguly :
 
Appointed permanent judge of Calcutta high court on January 10, 1994, Ganguly went on to serve as chief justice of Orissa and Madras HCs
 
Became an SC judge on December 17, 2008; retired on February 3, 2012
 
Delivered 568 verdicts during his tenure in SC
 
His strong observations in 2G case forced DMK’s A Raja to resign as telecom minister in November 2010
 
Important verdicts: Cancelled 122 2G licences, gave back 156 hectares land to agitating Greater Noida farmers, fined Maharashtra govt Rs.10 lakh after concluding then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh had influenced police against registering FIR against an MLA