AK Ganguly skips office for third day as pressure for resignation mounts

Kolkata: Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly, indicted by a Supreme Court judges’ panel in the case of sexual harassment of a law intern, did not attend office in the West Bengal Human Rights Commission for the third day today, even as clamour for his resignation mounted. “Justice Ganguly did not come to office today,” a senior official at the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) confirmed. “He has not been attending office since Thursday, making it the third consecutive working day on which he did not attend office,” the official told PTI here. [caption id=“attachment_1277671” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former SC judge AK Ganguly.[/caption] Asked if normal functioning of the commission was being hampered owing to the chairman’s absence, he said, “Yes, in matters where the commission has to hold meetings or which need his attention are not being held owing to his absence.” A committee of three judges of the apex court has indicted their former colleague Justice Ganguly for “unwelcome behaviour” and “conduct of sexual nature” towards a woman law intern, prompting demands for his resignation from the chairmanship of WBHRC. Justice Ganguly was accused by the intern of sexually harassing her in a hotel room in Delhi last year. The retired judge has strongly denied the charge. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote two successive letters last week to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking removal of Justice Ganguly, some of whose recommendations as WBHRC chairman did not go down well with the state government. While senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj demanded his resignation, it was echoed today by her party colleague and MP Smriti Irani, who said, “I think it is extremely important that an example be set for the rest of the country that if someone who had represented the judicial body or Constitution breaks the law, then that person will be equally dealt under the law.” PTI