Inquiry panel finds merit in charges against Justice Ganguly

The three-judge inquiry panel appointed to probe a law intern’s allegations of sexual harassment against a retired judge of the Supreme Court has reportedly concluded that there is evidence to support her allegations. A report in The Times of India said the fact-finding committee comprising Justices R M Lodha, HL Dattu and Ranjana Prakash Desai examined her statements and that of Justice AK Ganguly and found merit in her allegations. [caption id=“attachment_126767” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Justice A K Ganguly[/caption] Justice Ganguly, now chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, has until now denied the charges levelled by the young woman who worked with him in 2012. The complainant went public with her allegations through a blog post in November this year and then a subsequent interview, stating that the incident occurred in a hotel in New Delhi in December last year.Chief Justice P Sathasivam then instituted the fact-finding committee. Justice Ganguly retired in February this year . “According to sources, the conclusion of the fact-finding committee comprising Justices R M Lodha, H L Dattu and Ranjana Prakash Desai, after examining statements of both the law graduate and the retired judge and going through evidence tendered by her, supports the complainant’s version,” says the TOI report. Speaking to CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai earlier this week, Justice Ganguly said he was shocked and shattered by the allegations of sexual harassment. “If this trend continues it will be difficult for upright judges to function in the Supreme Court,” Ganguly said. About demands that he resign from his position of chief of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, Ganguly later said he was undecided. Meanwhile, an NGO sought police action against the retired judge even as the Trinamool Congress intensified its attack against him. The NGO, Bharat Bachao Sangstan, submitted a memorandum to the Hare Street police station in Kolkata demanding that an FIR be filed against him, according to reports. The NGO had recently staged a protest against him outside the offices of the state human rights commission.