AK Ganguly
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi has instituted a special bench this morning, at 10:30am in Court Number 1, headed by himself alongside justices Arun Mishra and Sanjeev Khanna, to vociferously refute sexual harassment allegations made against him by a complainant in a letter sent to all Supreme Court judges.
To borrow the words of one anonymous tipster, we’ve not been living under a rock for the past weeks.
Pachauri’s gradual rehabilitation is not a new narrative: in fact, the rehabilitation of powerful men, whether in the eyes of the mainstream media, politics or the common man and woman, is par for the course, albeit a massively nuanced matter.
Kian Ganz explains on Newslaundry how over the last week the papers have been happily running with a news story about how AK Ganguly, the former Supreme Court judge who had allegedly harassed one of his interns after retirement, with headlines such as “Ganguly gets Centre’s clean chit in intern case”.
The only problem: it never actually happened. Read the full article on Newslaundry that shows how badly they got it wrong.
Foreign lawyers should be allowed to work on arbitrations in India to make domestic arbitration more attractive and to unburden the courts said Supreme Court justices SS Nijjar and PC Ghose and retired judge AK Ganguly, reported Kolkata paper The Telegraph.
Nijjar said at the seminar by the Indian Council of Arbitration that “we need to open up. Let’s come up with a comprehensive act (and become) an arbitration-friendly nation and judiciary”, adding that the process must be liberalised and foreign lawyers should be allowed to participate.
Ganguly added “It is natural that foreign companies will depend on foreign lawyers. If we want the arbitration process to become popular in India, we need to provide a level playing field to foreign lawyers. This will improve the legal system in India.”
Foreign lawyers are currently banned from practising in Indian courts or running offices here.
NUJS Kolkata vice chancellor Ishwara Bhatt announced at the law school's convocation that its guidelines to protect of interns from sexual harassment would be published on its website soon, reported the Telegraph.
The report added that Bhatt promised that if an intern’s employer does not take action against a harasser on receiving a complaint of sexual harassment from the university, the university will “help the intern in a suitable way”.
The report stated that the policy follows sexual harassment allegations by former NUJS students against ex-Supreme Court Justice AK Ganguly, and "another Supreme Court judge", whose name the paper did not specify.
Newspapers reported in January that one of former Justice Swatanter Kumar's NUJS interns, while he was still a sitting judge, alleged that the judge sexually harassed her. Kumar has filed a defamation suit against several newspapers, which will next get heard on 19 May, obtaining a temporary and partial restriction on media reporting the allegations against him without also stating that they are mere allegations.
AK Ganguly SC report private info: Rejecting a Right to Information (RTI) request for the Supreme Court’s report on its recent sexual harassment complaint proceedings against its former justice AK Ganguly, the SC said: “The disclosure of information and reports emanating out of a self-evolved mechanism which is in the nature of an In-House Procedure by the judiciary is expressly prohibited.” [PTI]
Verma J’s family declines Padma Bhushan: Refusing to accept the Padma Bhushan national honour on behalf of late justice JS Verma, his wife Pushpa Verma has written to the president stating that her husband “never hankered or lobbied for any acclaim, reward or favour” and that he “will be satisfied with being remembered as one of India’s most pre-eminent jurists […]”. Verma’s family was upset that they were not informed or “consulted” about the award through official communication but only came to know about it through media reports, and that they feel that the issue has been dealt with in a “bureaucratic manner” reported [IBN Live] Former Delhi high court chief justice Rajinder Sachar said that the ex-CJI at least deserved the higher honour of a Padma Vibhushan [Express]
RamJet set for BJP expulsion damages: The Delhi high court has fixed 2 May as the date for hearing veteran criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani’s plea against expulsion from political party BJP on charges of “breach of discipline”. Jethmalani has asked the court for Rs 50 lakh in damages from the party’s parliamentary board members and a direction to the board to declare the order of his expulsion as "null and void" [IBN Live]
FDI U-turn vs national security: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has revised its policy for 100 per cent foreign direct investment in Indian railways, after security concerns over Chinese firms prospectively setting up projects near the international border [Mint]
Suicide a crime or not?: The Mental Health Bill, approved yesterday by the cabinet, stands at odds with the Indian Penal Code which makes suicide a criminal offence. The bill decriminalises suicide [Scroll]
LI reporter Prachi Shrivastava argues that, to date, the pillars of the Indian constitution have been remarkably efficient and fair in the investigation and reporting of the sexual harassment allegations against former Supreme Court Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly.
Former Supreme Court Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly, who is also chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), has quit as honorary professor at NUJS Kolkata, the alma mater of a former intern who accused him of sexual harassment.
Ganguly wrote, according to NDTV: “I voluntarily opt out, don't want to continue as a member of the guest facility and be a burden on NUJS.”
Yesterday the Union Government cabinet cleared the way for a presidential reference to remove Ganguly from his chairmanship of the WBHRC.
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Altamas Kabir was proposed to become an honorary professor at the college in early December.
The Union cabinet has greenlit the proposed presidential reference to remove West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairman AK Ganguly, for allegedly having sexually harassed an intern.
President Pranab Mukherjee will now be able to take a call on whether the reference to remove Ganguly under the Human Rights Act will proceed, reported IBNLive.
In reaction, Ganguly told PTI: “I don't want to comment now. I need some time to decide. Please give me some time, later on I will let you know.”
Twelve faculty members of NUJS Kolkata, the alma mater of the former student who accused retired Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly of sexual harassment during her internship a year ago, have issued a statement in her support.
The way will soon be clear for the President to ask for an inquiry into sex harassment allegations against the ex-judge. Question is, how, if at all, would it stick under law?
As Goolam Vahanvati will submit a legal opinion by tomorrow on the presidential reference to remove AK Ganguly from the WBHRC, Legally India has seen a copy of the inquiry’s report, which is not confidential anymore.