Kolkata: The retired judge of Supreme Court, AK Ganguly, who has been accused of sexually harassing a law intern, has resigned as chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission. Ganguly handed over his resignation to West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan on Monday.
He met the Governor in the evening and held a closed door meeting with him for more than half an hour. Ganguly's resignation comes after intense pressure on him to quit. The Ministry of Home Affairs had prepared a note which was sent to the Cabinet, paving way for his removal as WBHRC chief.
Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising who has also sought his resignation, welcomed the decision and said: "He has done the right thing. His resignation should have come earlier. I'm happy that the dignity of the Human Rights Commission office is maintained."
Earlier, the Supreme Court on Monday had refused to entertain a PIL seeking its direction to stay all proceedings against the former judge.
A bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi had dismissed the PIL, saying that it cannot interfere in the issue at this stage and law will take its course in the matter. "We have gone through every word of your averments and prayers. We are not inclined to go into it. It's too early to say anything about it," the bench said, adding that "let the law take its own course".
The court was hearing a PIL, filed by a woman doctor and Delhi resident M Padma Narayan Singh, seeking quashing of the complaint on which a three-member panel of apex court judge indicted Justice Ganguly, Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission, for unwelcome behaviour against a law intern. The bench also dismissed another similar PIL filed on the issue.
Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee had added: "Justice Ganguly spoke to me over telephone and said that he is thinking of resigning (as WBHRC chief)."
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