Respected leader? BJP people in Bengal had been badmouthing him for ages for his alleged corruption, which even led ED to raid his place not far back. It's funny how every TMC goon becomes respected the moment they shift to BJP. Hence the saying that these two are merely two sides of the same coin. BJP leaders like Shubhendu Adhikari himself was a TMC guy against whom there still exist plenty of corruption charges, just like other TMC leaders.

https://www.barandbench.com/news/sandeshkhali-calcutta-high-court-calls-for-removal-shahajahan-sheikh-zilla-parishad-pradhan

TMC suspended him under pressure. But the state govt is yet to act. Can SG explain the inaction of Dear Aunt?

Don't forget AG and his gems, like this one

https://thewire.in/rights/seven-years-on-jalpaiguri-child-trafficking-victims-await-justice

If the majority of the voters are her beneficiaries, who are making her win, then logic would say that she's doing what the leader is supposed to do. So clearly the problems persisting means that neither she nor Ganguly should be treated as anything beyond ordinary human beings who are selfish and makes mistakes of their own.

Yeah but why can someone not solve any problem in politics if they have a judicial background?

This person has always been against corruption and has never pursued money. He was a PCS officer but left his job and pursued Law because he had to bow down to corrupted Left leaders as a PCS officer. Then he went into litigation but left his litigation practice for judiciary and now it's time for him to get into real politics where he can actually make a change!

You can call him biased, you can call his method radical, you can call his decisions bad in law bur for lakhs of aspirants who are protesting for years, he is a God.

He stood up and did nothing in the area that he was supposed to be an expert in. Only played to the gallery. Now he's planning to get into politics of which he doesn't know anything. So far nothing that he's done seems to be for the benefit of anyone else other than his own self.

Today JAG when was queried about allegations of corruption within and by BJP, JAG stated that he is only concerned with doing his duty without fear or favour. That's a technical save.

For someone who has seen in the court how the ED has been messing up the investigation concerning Leaps and Bounds despite repeated cautions and queries by Justice Sinha, I wonder what JAG is going to do about this "setting" between Dear Leader and Dear Aunt.

Irrespective of political sympathies or even someone of apolitical persuasion anyone in the HC will tell you that "setting" is very real. A few more disposable politicians and rooks will become fall guys. But that's about it.

I am not suggesting that Dear Nephew is invincible. But this constituency was previously nurtured by Dear Aunt. And it is among the few pockets that went out of Left control starting as early as mid-1980s. The TMC is wedded into the everyday lives and economies of S24 Paraganas, esp DH and the Kolkata port area.

JAG is getting baited. But BJP should be smarter. It should instead allow ISF to front the battle. It will look lame if JAG stands from DH but is also given Tamluk as a cushion. If the BJP was ever really interested in creating the infrastructure for winning ground-up then it should have neutralized Rezzak and the extended clan by now.

This ED/CBI things cannot fully cover the organisational deficiency. Cannot wing everything, every time. GOP swept everywhere post-Indira assassination. Even CPI(M) suffered some shock defeats. But GOP couldn't dislodge Left due to poor grassroots organisational strength. Also those manning GOP then in WB were a corrupt lot.

Dear Aunt knows all of it. So do not underestimate her memory. I detest her. But I have to give her due credits as a politician (honesty, probity et al are overrated).

A TMC spokesman made suggestive hints citing Adv Arunava Ghosh that there is a "story" concerning how JAG was made a Judge of Cal HC. Does anyone here know about it and if Adv Ghosh has made public claims, then please provide the link.

The outbursts of KB today in the TMC press conference increasingly looked like that the party was spooked and for KB personally, it was a case of sour grapes.

Not necessarily. Hardeep Puri didn't get anything related to external affairs. The retired general wasn't given any security related stuff although he is often sent to conflict zones to coordinate civilian evacuation or supply of humanitarian supplies. Then again we have also seen absolute greenhorns being given ministries that are beyond their stated capacities. Also winning big doesn't necessarily result in meaty portfolios.

JAG may join BJP and will fight election but it would be interesting to see whether he can continue to speak against corruption in all forms by staying within the BJP. The best course of action for JAG would be to join the BJP, get political power and then form his own party 5-10years down the line. This is the only person who can end corruption and change bengal for the better but whether he would be able to do that by staying within the BJP remains to be seen.

Please check facts. Most of his orders were upheld by the DB and later SC as well. In certain instances, the SC sent back the cases for a re-hearing. And the outcomes went against the state government. JAG had the state government and regime friendly judges spooked. Sure, he could have done things with greater tact. In many places he made rookie errors. But it also exposed (and educated) how the system really works beyond the fictions of objectivity, independence, coherence, discipline et al.

Whether JAG will continue to be maverick in the political arena remains to be seen. The record of judges as politicians is very poor. Then again those judges were not exactly paragons of virtue who were "corrupted" during their political innings.

The idea of standing independent and drawing tacit support from all the opposition parties, esp in a LS constituency like DH, is an appealing proposition. Maybe he will do that. There has been some talk of all the opposition parties joining hands to evict the Chosen One.

Then again, "the Sagardighi" model was a spectacular failure. That MLA is now with the ruling party.

On his own JAG can do little. Given the state of politics, BJP is the only party that can give him the bandwidth. But what will be the Faustian bargain?

Why not direct your attention to the like of PN Bhagwati, Chandrachur, AN Ray et al who were ruling party acolytes and some ended with long tenures as CJI. To later express hollow regret after enjoying the goodies and ensuring the gravy train for succeeding generations does not absolve them of taking deliberate steps to profit.

the conduct of judges during Emergency isn't the only blot. What about Bhopal Gas tragedy?

I am from Bengal. Not a supporter of TMC either. I still do not like to see judges doing politics. People who believe in the constitution generally don't like that. Moreover, most of his orders were faulty in terms of law, got stayed or overturned on appeal and he kept shooting his mouth everywhere including before the media. It ill becomes a member of the Bench to indulge in such antics. So certainly not a hero.

He was a former junior to CPIM and Senior Advocate Bikash Bhattacharjee and is basically left-leaning at heart. He will also make his announcement tomorrow in front of the statue of the leftist freedom fighter Surya Sen. I don't think he will be a good fit in the BJP because of Hindutva. However, even the left/Congress is a bad fit now, because their high command in Delhi is hobnobbing with the TMC rogues as part of the INDIA alliance, plus the woke elites have grabbed power in the left-liberal ecosystem.

I think it's best that he stands as an independent against Abhishek Banerjee in Diamond Harbour, and the BJP, Left and Congress all decide not to contest against him, so that it becomes a two-horse race. Muslims in Diamond Harbour may also vote for him if he goes independent.

He can be faulted for doing this in the first place. Now most of his decisions as well as others that go against the ruling regime will be questioned and seen in a political colour. It looks like these people haven’t really understood the concept of separation of powers. Whatever little credibility the judiciary still has left are fast disappearing because of people like him, Gogoi, Khanwilkar etc.

For more details wait for his press conference on Tuesday 1.30pm. There is some talk that he will join BJP on March 7 and contest LS elections from Tamluk.

He does have a "Left" background due to his mentorship and friendship with left-leaning folks. Then again, he has personally tasted excesses of Left regime, a big reason why he quit his WBCS position. He really cannot be faulted for not joining Left or GOP. Both have no future in Bengal (other than in some pockets). As an independent he can do very little.

Remains to be seen how independently he can function within BJP. But that applies to all parties. Everyone expects and demands unquestioned obedience and sycophancy. Those who do this smartly succeed.

Big breaking news!! Some confusion over whether he will join Left or BJP, as both parties are wooing him. According to social media, will most likely join BJP and contest from Tamluk (a safe BJP seat). Another option is an independent candidature or a new party supported by BJP.

https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/going-to-resign-from-post-of-judge-will-enter-politics-justice-abhijit-gangopadhyay-tells-local-news-outlet-251105

https://thewire.in/law/justice-abhijit-gangopadhyay-politics-resignation-tmc

https://news.abplive.com/news/india/calcutta-hc-judge-abhijit-gangopadhyay-to-join-politics-resignation-on-tuesday-1669152

https://www.news18.com/india/calcutta-hc-judge-abhijit-ganguly-likely-to-resign-hints-at-joining-politics-to-work-at-grassroots-level-8801910.html